Amanda Martino

Current Position: Senior Audit Accountant at Kreisher Miller

Story Last Updated: June 2016
Current Position Updated: March 2019

Gwynedd Mercy University didn't look the way it looks now when I got here. I was with my Dad and we drove up to meet Laura-Ann, the former field hockey coach. I was just praying to God that I would love the school. I really felt comfortable with GMercyU after meeting Laura-Ann. She took me around campus and I felt like I was at home. I didn't question anything. It was easy to talk to her and I assumed if it was easy to talk to a coach than it would be easy to talk to everyone else.

I received two degrees at GMercyU, accounting and finance. I transferred to GMercyU my second semester of freshmen year. I originally went to a college in Indiana to play field hockey during Hurricane Sandy. Living on the water back in New Jersey, my family was really affected by it. I decided I couldn't be that far away anymore. My best friend was a nursing student at GMercyU and suggested I apply and see what happens. I did and got accepted. Before I even came to visit the campus I said yes and here I am four years later.

I actually started out as just an accounting major and because I wanted to be a CPA, I had to get 150 credits so I thought why not add a second degree. The School of Business has the most amazing professors I ever met.

I'm happy to say that I have a connection both professionally and personally with each and every one of them. Not many people get to say they eat lunch with their professors or with the dean or they can call them if they need a recommendation for anything without hesitation. I'm really lucky that I have them.

More specifically, without Professor Silvesti I wouldn't have this job as an auditor at Kreischer Miller. I wouldn't have had the experiences that I had and I wouldn't have had the soft skills that I have today. He always made sure that I had my resume ready or I was professional. He gave me the little points that most people overlook and without him I'd probably still be searching for a job.

One of the internships I had was at Gable, Peritz & Mishkin, an accounting firm right down the road from campus. They actually have two alumni working there right now. You name it, I did it.

I learned professionalism, how to deal with coworkers, and what to do when you need help. I learned a lot of things you don't get to learn in a classroom and I got to see how everything I did in school applied to the real world.

I was only a student-athlete at GMercyU for one season and then I was injured. I then became a student-coach where I was able to learn leadership skills that most people don't get to. Taking on that role and balancing school work at the same time was hard. You really learn time-management, how to help others while also making sure you're growing and that winning isn't everything.

In general, GMercyU is a small school but it's really tailored to the person that wants to grow as a person and as a professional. You really get the hands-on experience that you're not going to get anywhere else. From education where you start student-teaching really early or business where you constantly have internships and you have to network and meet people, GMercyU has something for everyone regardless of what your major is or where you want to go after you graduate. You know you are going to walk out a better person than when you came in.