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IMG_1371Maharishi International University (MIU) Accounting Professional student Joel Dobgang just passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam in the state of Ohio. Joel is originally from the central African country of Cameroon and has a background as an internal auditor at Express Exchange, a Cameroonian Financial Institution. Upon hearing about Joel’s exciting CPA news, I decided to learn more about his time on campus and see how his curricular practical training* was going.

  1. Why did you originally decide to come to MIU? I chose MIU for my MBA because of two principal reasons; I was looking for an MBA program that would offer me both in class-training and valuable extensive industry training including International work experience. The MIU MBA Accounting track was that program. Secondly, I was looking for a program that would enable me to study for my MBA and take the CPA exam; like “shooting two birds with one stone” kind of scenario. As you can see, the MIU MBA accounting professional track greatly aligned with what I was looking for.
  2. What was your favorite part of MIU? As an international student, my favorite part was the friendly and welcoming people that surrounded me at MIU. The professors, Accounting program administrators, cafeteria staff, and fellow students were all so friendly, helpful, and supportive. How can you not be happy and successful when studying in this kind of environment? [I have] memories I will always cherish about MIU and the people of Fairfield.
  3. What were some of your favorite accounting courses? My favorite courses were Business Intelligence, Data Mining, and Metrics for Sustainability. I really enjoyed Business Intelligence and Data Mining taught by Dr. Anil Maheshwari… I believe that Business Intelligence and Data Mining skills are very essential to the accounting and finance professions. So much data is being generated every second, so any company not leveraging the power of data mining and analytics is missing out. I also enjoyed the Metrics for Sustainability course by Dr. Scott Herriott. Climate change is real and more serious than ever, so training in Green Accounting/Accounting for Sustainability is an important way to prepare accountants to measure and report the impact of business activities on the environment. Another one of my favorite aspects of MIU was the CAPSIM Business Simulation competition, in which our team (the Chester Group) emerged third in the world. I learned valuable team building skills working on the CAPSIM project.
  4. Where do you currently work? What does the company do? I am doing my curricular practical training at Cardinal Health, a fortune 500 company that manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical and medical products. Cardinal Health is a large company with a small company culture. The leaders value the relationship between diversity and innovation and pay keen attention to employee development and engagement. I enjoy the experience I am getting working with this innovative health care giant.
  5. What was the most valuable thing you learned at MIU and how does it apply to your new position? MIU is a truly international university. This gave me the opportunity to study and work in teams/projects with students from different countries and backgrounds. Having this experience is very important in today’s increasingly diverse work places (like the one at Cardinal Health).
  6. What are your plans for the future? I am really excited about my accounting career. I was recently licensed as a CPA in the state of Ohio. I have also passed the Certified Information System Auditor (CISA) Exam organized by ISACA. I see my future career to revolve around Accounting, Finance and Tax while leveraging Information Technology and the power of Data Analytics.

*Curricular practical training is a component of the MBA program which allows students to do an internship in a company as a part of her/his degree requirements.