It All Adds Up
The combination of wanting to stay close to home and her love for numbers all added up for Kayla Monaghan to choose Midland University.
The senior Accounting major from Fremont, Nebraska, said when she started crunching the numbers during her college selection process, Midland became the ideal choice.
“I wanted to stay close to my family and love the Fremont community. I’ve always loved numbers and wanted to find some way to work with them in my career. When I started looking at colleges, Midland had one of the best accounting programs around. After I met with Professor (Jon) Moxness (Associate Professor of Business) and learned more about the program, I knew this is where I wanted to be.”
It was critical for Kayla to become familiar with the Midland community as well. She has been involved in the Howard Hanson Honors program, FBLA Collegiate, Accounting SI leader, and Phi Omega sorority over the past four years. “It was important for me to get involved and not just go home after class and lock myself away. I wanted to get to know as many people as possible, and I’ve made a lot of great friends.”
She also found time to pursue a compressed major in Criminal Justice and served an internship with Care Corps’ Lifehouse in Fremont, a non-profit shelter for homeless and near-homeless individuals. “To pursue being a CPA, you must have 150 credit hours, and I wanted to use those credits to work toward something. I’ve always been interested in the Criminal Justice field and down the road, I could see myself possibly pursuing a career in forensic accounting. Criminal Justice offers more insight into the audit departments, and that’s the side of accounting I really like.”
Kayla is already on the fast track to a career in accounting. She has accepted a full-time position with Erickson & Brooks in Fremont and will begin the process of becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I want to get through my first tax season (Spring of 2026), and then go for my CPA after that. My goal is to complete my CPA within two years of graduation.”
With graduation just around the corner, Kayla looks forward to starting her career in June and reflects on four memorable years. “I’m excited and ready to take on a new adventure and dive into my career, but it’s also bittersweet because I love Midland and all the people I’ve met here. It’s been a great experience and I don’t regret my decision.”
Kayla Monaghan is a senior Accounting major from Fremont, Nebraska.
