Katherine Helmick ’22 is pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration at Concord University. The Dawson, West Virginia native graduated from Greenbrier West High School in 2018, but wasn’t sure what career she wanted to pursue, so she started her college career at New River Community and Technical College.
“During my first semester at New River, I spoke with my advisor who informed me that a degree in business administration would be a more beneficial, well-rounded degree for me than a degree in general studies. I agreed to begin taking classes for this major, which brought me to my first accounting course.”
Katherine Helmick
Business was never in Katherine’s plan, and she even swore that she would never be a CPA like many of her family members. However, she quickly discovered that “God has a wonderful sense of humor.”
“I came to absolutely love accounting and my accounting courses. My professor, Mr. Seldomridge, CPA, as well as my aunt and uncle who are both CPAs, were very encouraging with my interest in accounting.”
The more Katherine learned about the field, the more she realized her career would have more opportunities if she continued her education past an associate’s degree. After graduating from New River in 2020, she transferred to Concord with the goal of completing her bachelor’s degree in business administration.
“This was truly the best decision I have ever made. I cannot say enough about Concord, and I would encourage anyone to attend; it truly feels like home.”
Katherine Helmick
Katherine graduated with her undergraduate degree in 2022, one of the valedictorians of her graduating class, and immediately enrolled in CU’s MBA program to better prepare to sit for her CPA exam. She also was haired as a graduate assistant for the Department of Business. While Katherine wasn’t sure what her career goals were when she started her college education, her path is becoming clearer than ever. When she finishes her MBA, Katherine wants to pursue her PhD.
“About two months before I graduated with my bachelor’s degree at Concord, I felt that the Lord was leading me to a career as a college professor, but after being taught by such wonderful professors, I wasn’t sure that I could succeed. This fear was completely eliminated with the first conversation I had with my professors, particularly Dr. Deck, during which they expressed their excitement for my goal, as well as their belief that I could succeed…[Concord] professors are absolutely second to none. I hope that one day I can be even half as great a professor as each of them have been to me.”
With her goals firmly set, Katherine says that any student struggling with direction should give Concord a try.
“If an individual is unsure as to whether they should even attend college, I would highly encourage them to give Concord a try…Never have I met more encouraging, supportive, inspirational people who care so deeply about their students’ education and futures, and they have been some of the greatest mentors in my life.”
Katherine Helmick