Ambitious AU accounting student turns Promise Award into internship opportunity

Haven Farson did something few students do as college freshmen.

“She was eager to learn about internships during her first semester in the accounting program, and
usually students don’t even start learning about the process until their junior year,” said Timothy Hinkel,
assistant professor of accounting at Ashland University. “In addition, Haven was proactive in seeking
information about accounting careers, clubs at AU, as well as scholarships and awards.”

The fact she also excelled in the classroom made the decision to nominate Farson for a Promise Award
an easy one, Hinkel said.

Farson said her Promise Award through the university paid for her to take a trip related to her major.

Farson, now a junior who is majoring in accounting and minoring in business management, turned her
trip of touring accounting firms in Cleveland and the surrounding areas into, you guessed it, an
internship with Bober Markey Fedorovich (BMF) & Co. CPAs at its Fairlawn facility.

“BMF stood out to me as a firm that would be a great place to learn and grow, so when they offered me
an internship position, I took it,” said Farson, whose internship started Jan. 23 and will end April 17.

So far, Farson said BMF has been a great experience as the employees are welcoming and supportive.
And because all her classes this semester are online, she is able to work full time at BMF and still take a
full load of classes in hopes of staying on schedule to graduate in May 2024.

The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA) student ambassador is preparing business tax
returns for the first half of the internship and then will prepare individual ones for the second half.

During her first week of training, Farson said she had the chance to ask questions of anyone in the firm,
from partners to administrators to staff employees, allowing her to get to know everyone in the office.

“So far, she’s doing a great job of absorbing knowledge and training, and she asks great questions to
make sure she understands the tax concepts,” said Tyler Chaplin, CPA, senior manager at BMF. “The
other interns seem to gravitate towards her, and you can tell she’s a natural leader. Haven is extremely
friendly and is a hard worker. I look forward to working with her this tax season.”

Because she is bright, hard-working and focused, Victoria Kaskey, chair of AU’s accounting department,
said Farson definitely deserved a Promise Award. Kaskey helped organize the trip for Farson.

“Haven is the first Ashland University student interning with BMF, CPAs and we would not have built the
AU/BMF, CPAs relationship had Haven not forged full steam ahead with her drive and desire to learn
about her future career path,” Kaskey said.

Farson said she also looks forward to sharing her BMF experience with Kaskey, Hinkel and the rest of her
professors at AU, whom she said have pushed her to be the best version of herself and are always
available to help her with assignments, questions and finding her internship.

“This internship is giving me real-world experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,”
Farson said.