Embedded Files
There are many things I want to be known for; my quick wit, sense of caring, cutting edge fashion sense, but above all, I want my legacy to be based around one key ideal; I never said no to a free meal.
But before I leave you with that final impression, there are a few more things you should know about me
Picture it! March 20th, South Bend, IN, a gift to the world is born. He will bring peace and joy. What’s his name? Good question, I don’t know, I was born on the 25th.
I had a great and pretty rural childhood. Think of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but my pigtails were longer (pause for laughter). My two younger brothers and I would spend hours playing in our huge backyard (read: cow pasture) and the weekly family outing was down the road to the t-ball park. I actually spent 7 years playing. Which is surprising, because just looking at that picture to the left you can tell sports are not really in my wheelhouse.
In high school I got pretty good grades because, as mentioned above, I had all this time to study because I didn’t have any sporting events to worry about. To stay involved, I opted for a more creative approach and stuck to activities usually reserved for only the coolest kids: clarinet, musical theater and show choir. Was I good at any of those? Better than I was at left field, so I found my niche!
During my senior year I got asked the question by my guidance counselor, “what did I want to do when I grew up?” Could only come up with one answer. I wanted to work at the place where dreams came true... let’s see if I did (foreshadowing!)
Since Broadway didn’t recruit from my high school, I took the next best option after graduation and moved on down to Cincinnati where I loved my four years at Xavier University. It’s a smaller school but the cafeteria was BIG, so I was all set.
The summer after my Freshman year, I worked at Clovernook Center for the Blind as an intern in their youth programs. Oh boy, that was a learning experience. The summer there taught me about what it really means to be happy and how and attitude means everything.
The next summer, my dad and I packed up the Mazda 626 POS and took a road trip out to Williamsburg, VA, where I worked as a lead on the Griffon roller coaster at Busch Gardens. It was an awesome job and where I solidified my love of theme parks. Literally, first day I strapped on a safety harness and took a coaster tour group up 210 feet in the air to check out the view!
Spent the next summer hanging out as an auditor at Kings Island. Highlight was getting to drive the golf cart on the Dino Trail at night. Heavy Jurassic Park vibes.
When I wasn’t spending my summers riding roller coasters, I also did some school work. Some might have called me a teachers pet, but I disagree. I was more of an emotional support animal because I could fly on planes (hold for more laughter). When I went to college my mom really wanted me to major in accounting and I told her, “gross”. I mean come one, I have a personality!
I swore off of it , vowing to never count beans, not even one. But, it actually worked out that I was not bad at making t-accounts, had a really good professor, and was challenged, so I decided my mom was not wrong (the one and only time) and set course on the river CPA. Picked up a double major in Finance for fun and graduated with the job at one of the top four accounting firms.
The summer before KPMG, I knew I had to take care of that CPA exam. It was the worst/best summer of my life. Studied 10 hours a day- everyday- with a break for lunch to watch The Office. But, I passed all the tests on my first try so- worth it???
Public accounting was...an experience. It’s hard work. It’s long hours. It’s a lot of excel and I quickly realized it wasn’t for me (turns out my mom WAS wrong). But, learned a ton and got a great foundation for the future.
After a year and three months of working a job that was the opposite of magical, I got the call. The call to come down to Orlando, FL. Yes, I had gotten a job at Disney (reference prior foreshadowing) and was now the Prince Charming of Financial Reporting.
THE DISNEY DREAM...well, a dream. I was crunching numbers and taking names. Even got a free trip to LA but knew financial reporting wasn’t my end goal.
By far one of my favorite jobs I’ve ever had was working as the finance lead of the BoardWalk Resort. I lucked out and hit the lottery on my team. But, all good things must come to an end and I needed to take my next step professionally so I moved over to the one thing Disney is best known for...timeshare finance?
One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was run the mile in elementary school (I was a soft kid) and the second hardest things was deciding that Accounting/Finance was not going to be my end game (so why did I get a degree in it…?). But, once I made that realization, an awesome opportunity appeared and I made the move into Revenue Management.
In my current job I think strategically, partner hard, and get things done. And I can say that I LOVE my job.
So, you just spent your time laughing and crying along with me. Why? I assume your ex kicked you off their Netflix account (I hope my Grandma never figures out how to do that). But in all seriousness, my life has taken me places I never expected, and there are a lot of things I’ve learned along that way that I want to share with you. So, give my resume a glance, check out my thoughts and say hey!
-Tay
Google Sites
Report abuse