Meet Kasey Thomas ’23, from Easton, PA. An Accounting and Economics double major, Kasey has wanted to be an accountant since her first year of high school. she enjoys how the field allows her to analyze complicated information to get at the truth behind the numbers. “I like being able to see behind the scenes,” Kasey notes. At Bryant, she’s getting a look at how the real world works—and learning how to affect change on both the personal and professional level.
Accounting involves more than crunching numbers, Kasey points out. Sure, you need solid analytical skills, but you also need to be able to see the big picture. By double majoring in Accounting and Economics and minoring in Political Science, she’s able to understand big ideas on a deeper level and understand how complex systems interact. “When I first started my Intermediate Economics course, I thought I had a good sense of how the economy works and the role it plays,” she remembers. “But that class gave me a brand-new understanding of how everything connects with each other.”
When you understand those connections, she says, you can figure out how to make them work in new ways. “In accounting, they look to you to make recommendations on the data you’re given, and I think a lot of companies are used to hearing the same suggestions,” Kasey notes. “But even in a space that relies heavily on systems, you can figure out how to use those systems to create brand new ideas.” A Creativity in the Arts course with Lecturer of English Joan Zaretti helped her learn to think outside the box and the Bryant IDEA (Innovation and Design Experience for All) program aided her in figuring out how to turn big ideas into realities.
“I like opportunities to start, and open up, important conversations. Conversations about what it takes to be not just a great athlete, but also a healthy athlete who uses their position to better their community.”
Kasey recently took part in Bryant’s PwC Challenge, which introduces students to real-world accounting practices and connects them with professional mentors. The Challenge gave her into her future her future profession the culminated with a final presentation. “It raises the stakes for you,” she notes. “And that’s when you do your best work.”
It was a good first step into a larger world, Kasey says, and she knows she’ll have expert mentors to help her figure out the rest of the journey. “Becoming a Certified Public Accountant isn’t easy,” she notes. “But every single Accounting professor I’ve had at Bryant has been willing to give you a hand and answer your questions about your future.”
Supportive community
A member of Bryant’s NCAA Division I Women’s Track and Field Team, Kasey is a fierce competitor who loves to challenge herself. “Stagnation is boring,” she says. “I'm always trying to get that next personal record.”
But even when she’s running by herself, she knows she has the support of her team—and she returns that support both on and off the track. As a team representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Kasey helps to make sure all of Bryant’s Bulldogs reach their full potential. She also advocates for positive change as a member of the W.O.K.E. Athletes student organization.
“I went everywhere on my college search. I've been all over the country and I've toured every single type of school—and I never found another community like Bryant’s. It's really close-knit and we look out for each other.
Kasey is especially proud of an event she helped to coordinate with the nonprofit Hidden Opponent that promoted student-athlete mental health. “I like opportunities to start, and open up, important conversations,” she says. “Conversations about what it takes to be not just a great athlete, but also a healthy athlete who uses their position to better their community.”
“I just really enjoy being able to help out others and being part of a group that uplifts one another,” she reflects.
That focus on a mutually supportive network is one of the things that drew her to Bryant. “I went everywhere on my college search. I've been all over the country and I've toured every single type of school—and I never found another community like Bryant’s,” says Kasey. “It's really close-knit and we look out for each other.”
