Mixing Literature With Numbers
By Matt Benson '07
I know what most people think of when they imagine an accountant and I don't subscribe to that notion at all. Most of the accountants I know are amazing, complex people and I certainly don't intend to break that pattern. I think it's a beautiful thing to be able to draw up a balance sheet and yet quote Wordsworth.
And that's why I'm double majoring in accounting and English Literature, with a minor in French. I find this combination allows me to cultivate my analytical love of numbers and yet balance it against some of my life's greatest pleasures - traveling and reading.
I'm looking at a career in corporate finance or in the banking industry, but my adviser Dr. Dawn Duncan, English associate professor, is of the strong persuasion I should pursue a career in publishing - and I have found my involvement with her writing to be immensely fulfilling. In between classes, tutoring students at the Academic Enhancement Center, taking piano lessons and playing in the orchestra, I've worked as a research assistant for Dawn. In fact, Dawn recruited me to her research team before I officially enrolled and since then we, and fellow student Angie Pfeiffer '06, have worked on several projects, including preparing a paper for presentation at a conference in Sydney, Australia. It is truly fascinating to see the blood, sweat and tears that go into such extensive writing projects.
It is also wonderful to form such a close relationship with a professor. Dawn is my employer, adviser, teacher and friend. She has been there for all of my stresses and successes, and invited me over to dinner at her house a few times in between. It is these opportunities, like my undergraduate research work with Dawn, that really set Concordia apart from other schools.
