Daniel Lisella
Degree:
Accounting (B.S.)
Major:
B.S.
Biography:
“Webster was the perfect place for me to grow - personally, academically, and professionally. During my time in the Webster accounting program, I enjoyed small, hands-on classes where I developed life-long relationships with professors and fellow students. After graduation, I successfully completed all four parts of the CPA exam on my first attempt, which I consider to be a testament to my academic experience at Webster. Even though I obtained a graduate degree elsewhere, I will always be most grateful for the time I spent at Webster. As an accountant in public practice, I draw on my Webster experience every day and I credit Webster for much of my success thus far in my career.
I finished the BS in accounting at Webster in 2004 with departmental academic honors. Webster gave me the chance to excel in and out of the classroom. Being a student leader with an above-average GPA made me marketable to Graduate Schools as well as employers. The real-world experience of faculty at Webster gave the classes relevance rooted in reality. I went to college during a time of transition in the accounting industry. I was a sophomore during the scandals at Enron and WorldCom, et al. The ensuing changes in the public accounting environment immensely changed the financial reporting value chain-from the companies themselves to public accountants to analysts to end users of financial information.
For accounting students, be flexible while learning the craft. You will need to know current accounting rules for the CPA exam, but it is much more important to understand that financial reporting rules are constantly changing. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued 17 Statements of Accounting Standards, dozens of staff positions, and EITF bulletins since I began college. With the convergence plan with IASB standards, accounting rules will be very different in five, 10, and 20 years. Realize that technical knowledge changes, but a strong appreciation of underlying concepts and the ability to analyze the effect of rule ch
I finished the BS in accounting at Webster in 2004 with departmental academic honors. Webster gave me the chance to excel in and out of the classroom. Being a student leader with an above-average GPA made me marketable to Graduate Schools as well as employers. The real-world experience of faculty at Webster gave the classes relevance rooted in reality. I went to college during a time of transition in the accounting industry. I was a sophomore during the scandals at Enron and WorldCom, et al. The ensuing changes in the public accounting environment immensely changed the financial reporting value chain-from the companies themselves to public accountants to analysts to end users of financial information.
For accounting students, be flexible while learning the craft. You will need to know current accounting rules for the CPA exam, but it is much more important to understand that financial reporting rules are constantly changing. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued 17 Statements of Accounting Standards, dozens of staff positions, and EITF bulletins since I began college. With the convergence plan with IASB standards, accounting rules will be very different in five, 10, and 20 years. Realize that technical knowledge changes, but a strong appreciation of underlying concepts and the ability to analyze the effect of rule ch
