Celebrating the grads on the 2020 Honour Roll
Congratulations to all of our fantastic alumni that placed on the Honour Roll for the 2020 Common Final Examination (CFE).
The School of Accounting and Finance is proud to celebrate this incredible accomplishment!
Although this year has brought on unique challenges and we did not have the opportunity to celebrate our Honour roll recipients in person as we usually would, the School wants to extend our sincere congratulations. We are proud to celebrate the success of our graduates and we are looking forward to seeing what all of our alumni do next!
2020 CFE Honour Roll recipients:
Ana Rusu (MAcc '20)
Congratulations Ana Rusu, the school is proud of you!
Andrea Bauschke (MAcc '20)
Andrea Bauschke currently works as a tax senior at Ernst Young (EY) in Waterloo, where she did all of her co-op terms. At EY, Andrea prepares corporate, personal and trust tax returns, and assists in auditing the tax-related line items on financial statements. She also enjoys planning social events for her team. Andrea continues to stay involved at the University of Waterloo as a research assistant and a teaching assistant, marking for upper-year AFM and MAcc courses. In her free time, Andrea likes to read, go on walks and play slo-pitch with friends. Andrea recommends that all upcoming CFE writers make sure that they take breaks when studying to avoid burning themselves out before the exam days. To be successful, you can’t worry about what other people are doing to study; focus on what works best for you.
Claire Fuqing Peng (MAcc '20)
Claire Fuqing Peng currently works as a Tax Specialist at KPMG. After she gains some exposure to different areas of tax, she hopes to find a specialization within tax advisory. Claire also has a passion for learning new languages and is excited about the international opportunities that come with a CPA designation. Outside of work, she loves to binge Netflix, hike and play board games with friends. She is also an adventurous foodie who is willing to try almost anything. Claire’s best advice to all future CFE writers is to never underestimate yourself. You are more capable than you think and SAF does a great job of ensuring you are well-equipped for the exam.
Emily Gillespie (MAcc '20)
Emily Gillespie currently works as a senior audit associate at McGovern Hurley LLP where she previously completed three co-op terms. During her time at the University of Waterloo, Emily was a member of various clubs and sports teams including the Varsity Figure Skating Team and Poker Studies Club. She also worked with first year SAF students through her role as a Peer Support Learning Champion and teaching assistant. Emily recommends that all students preparing for the CFE write as many practice cases as possible and keep a list of weaknesses they encounter. She found it very valuable to be able to refer to the list when determining which areas to study.
Emily Huang (MAcc '20)
Emily Huang currently works as a Senior Assurance Associate at the PwC Toronto office, where she had completed all four of her previous co-op terms. In this role, she performs a wide range of assurance engagements focused on clients in the entertainment, technology, and retail sectors. Her future career goals as a CPA are to continue developing her accounting knowledge and diverse skillset in a fast-paced and rewarding environment. She is interested in exploring global opportunities offered by the CPA designation and hopes to travel as part of her professional career. In her spare time, Emily enjoys trying out new places to eat and playing board games with friends (virtually recently, of course!). Emily recommends upcoming CFE writers to value every feedback opportunity and take the time to debrief cases thoroughly. It is important to know your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can continuously strive for improvement. She also believes that forming a study group that can motivate and support each other is an important tip for CFE success. Emily and her study group adhered to a weekly schedule which consisted of case-writing, peer-evaluation, debriefing, and most importantly, study breaks!
Gordon Yee (MAcc '20)
“The Common Final Exam (CFE) was undoubtedly one of the most stressful academic challenges I have encountered; although I am very proud (and surprised) of being named to the Honour Roll, this accomplishment speaks volumes to the level of preparation and support provided by the faculty. Without their commitment to our academic excellence, this would not have been possible. Likewise, the relationships I have developed with my peers here in SAF were priceless and have contributed tremendously to my success.” - Gordon Yee
Imran Kheraj (MAcc '20)
Imran Kheraj currently works full-time as a Senior Associate in the Assurance practice at PwC. During his time at the University of Waterloo, Imran was actively involved in activities outside the classroom. He was a teaching assistant for several courses, while also taking part in intramurals, Varsity Ball Hockey among other extracurricular activities. In terms of studying for the CFE, Imran recommends that students leverage the collective knowledge and resources of their study group. Your study group, and the AFM community as a whole, are the best resources you have.
Jennifer Shu (MAcc '20)
"As a Senior Tax Associate at PwC, Jennifer aspires to become a specialized tax consultant that truly creates value for clients and business, injects unique ideas into the tax practice, and brings positive impact to the society at large. Though, when she’s not busy daydreaming way too far into the future, she is usually found snacking on too much food, binging too much Youtube, winning too many rounds of Avalon, and being too obsessed with Attack on Titan. As a small advice to the future generation of CFE warriors, Jennifer would like to cite Kita Shinsuke from Haikyu, who says, “[you are] built upon the small things [you] do every day, and the results are nothing more than a byproduct of that.” Explore different methodologies, develop your own strategy, discover what truly works for you, and keep practicing. Stay focused, be dedicated, and just keep moving forward - the destination will be behind you before you know it." - Jennifer Shu
Louise Lok Yiu Choi (MAcc '20)
“It is thanks to the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) that I was able to achieve the honour of placing in the Common Final Examination (CFE) Honour Roll. The variety of different courses that SAF provided, in addition to the immeasurable experiences gained from my co-op work terms were key to success in the CFE. I will continue working hard, and I hope to achieve the same success in my professional career!” - Louise Lok Yiu Choi
Russell Sweeney (MAcc '20)
Russell Sweeney is a recent AFM and MAcc graduate who currently works at Deloitte in the Audit and Assurance practice. His work focuses mainly on the real estate sector, assisting companies with accounting for complex investments and acquisitions. Outside of accounting, Russell is passionate about financial literacy, animal rights and music performance. In his free time Russell enjoys watching and playing sports, singing in choir, and playing video games with his friends online during quarantine. Russell would like to thank Kevin and friends; whose support was instrumental in allowing him to complete the AFM and MAcc programs and successfully challenge the 2020 CFE. He would also like to thank all the amazing Professors at the University of Waterloo who continually challenged and pushed him to be the best version of himself and allowed him to find academic and personal success throughout his time at UWaterloo.
Samuel Li (MAcc '20)
Samuel Li currently works as a Senior Associate at PwC, where he performs assurance services for a wide variety of clients. As a future CPA, he hopes to embark on global opportunities to fulfill his passion of travelling while also delivering valuable service to clients. Outside of work, Samuel likes play volleyball, games with friends and a little bit of baking on the side. A tip that he has for future CFE writers is to leverage your co-op experiences. Think back to what steps you would have taken and how you could apply it to the case. Also don’t forget to keep a balanced study schedule and leave some time to relax. It may feel overwhelming at times but always remember that SAF has done an amazing job in ensuring that you are well prepared for the exam. Wishing you all the best of luck for the upcoming CFE!
Samuel Siu (MAcc '20)
Samuel Siu currently works as a staff accountant at KPMG LLP and previously worked at BDO Canada LLP during his four co-op terms. Throughout his time at University of Waterloo, he was involved in various leadership positions, including serving on the leadership committee of Chinese Christian Fellowship for five of his ten semesters, three of which he served as President. Samuel loves to use his strengths, including his academic knowledge and leadership experience, to actively support his peers, knowing that each person is gifted in unique ways. One insight that he recommends is that while academic performance and career advancement are important, there may be other endeavors and values that are also exceedingly meaningful to life. For instance, he personally found the development of genuine friendships and the pursuit of his Christian faith to take utmost priority.
Tatiana Tsoi (MTax '20)
Congratulations Tatiana Tsoi, the school is proud of you!
Toby Chung (BAFM '20, MAcc '20)
"Toby Chung currently works in the Risk Assurance Services department at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) performing business process controls, ITGC and SAP testing as well as preparing SOC1 reports. In his free time, he enjoys competing in fantasy basketball leagues, playing Mahjong with his family and playing the guitar. Toby recommends all upcoming CFE writers to find a good study group, work out a study schedule and practice, practice, practice. Time management is key so being familiar with the types of questions asked in cases and having a structured way of responding will assist in streamlining the process to producing a competent response. Good luck!"
Helen (Yiran) Peng (MAcc '20)
Helen (Yiran) Peng currently works as an audit associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers. During her co-op terms, Helen worked various roles in taxation and financial reporting. In her free time, Helen enjoys baking and trying out new restaurants. From Helen’s recent experience in writing the CFE, she found that it was key to remain organized leading up to the exam. To do so, she found it useful to maintain a spreadsheet to track competencies by cases. This helped her identify her strengths, and more importantly, the areas needing improvement. In addition to tracking competencies, she recommends forming a study group as it helped her keep accountable and provided good moral support leading up to the exam.
Congratulations to all our SAF graduates!