by Accounting Program
November 14th 2022
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From childhood, Adrianna “Adry” Solis (B.S. ‘22) knew that she wanted to do something in business. After graduating from high school in Mexico, Adry began her sixteen-year educational journey studying English then accounting at Portland Communication College, before transferring to Portland State University’s (PSU) accounting program. Along the way, Adry juggled working and raising three daughters (currently age 16 and 7-year-old twins), often taking breaks from school to earn enough money for the following term so she didn’t incur debt. While at PSU, Adry was such a strong student that she received offers from nine of the 10 employers she interviewed with, but chose to join PwC because of the incredible opportunity provided by the firm’s While You Work - CPA Acceleration Program.
The While You Work - CPA Acceleration Program is a paid, part-time fellowship offered in collaboration with Northeastern University. The program helps to break down longstanding societal obstacles to entering the accounting profession, giving Black and Hispanic/Latinx rising college seniors or graduates the opportunity to receive a tuition-paid, industry-recognized master’s degree while working part time at PwC and earning the final 30 credit hours needed to meet the 150 credit hour requirement for a CPA license. Fellows like Adry gain a distinctive opportunity to learn, earn, and prepare for a career in the accounting industry.
When asked what inspired her to pursue the While You Work - CPA Acceleration program as the next step in her career, Adry said “I want to make my dream come true. I’m a first-generation student and an immigrant. I had to learn English and overcome any societal bias because of my color and my accent. My mother said that I’m strong like a rock, so my mentality is not to give up!” Adry also credits PSU’s extensive support for student parents, Beta Alpha Psi meetings, Amanda Lilley who served as Adry’s mentor and her accounting faculty, especially Madelyn Parsons, Accounting Instructor and Accounting Recruiting Manager and Tonya Moffit, Accounting Instructor and Partner at Merina+Co.
If you would like to learn more about Adry’s journey and support her nomination as an Outstanding Latina Woman in the US, please vote for Adry by “liking” her interview on Facebook! The English translation of the interview is also available here.