Finding Harmony in Faith, Numbers, and Friendship
When deciding where to attend college, Anna Herman had three criteria: she wanted to study somewhere she could play organ, run track, and study accounting. Dordt University checked all three boxes. After a campus visit, Herman chose to leave her hometown of Boise, Idaho, to spend four years studying at Dordt.
“I majored in accounting because I loved math in high school,” she says. “I enjoy working with numbers and patterns. I didn’t know much about accounting, but I gave it a shot. And I quickly found that it was definitely what I wanted to do.”
She appreciates how Dordt’s accounting program prepared her not only to earn her Certified Professional Accounting (CPA) license but also to consider what other options she might have with an accounting degree, like auditing, tax consulting, or fraud accounting.
After doing a summer internship back in Boise, Herman realized that she wanted to work in auditing. “It feels more like a team effort, where we work as a group to figure things out,” she says.
Teamwork is the reason why she enjoys running track, too. “It’s great to have a team to work alongside as we try to achieve a goal,” she says. “Doing track keeps me healthy. It helps me to have a good mindset and maintain a strong work ethic. But, boy, some of those workouts are pure death. So it’s nice that we’re all struggling together.”
Herman also chose to minor in Kuyper Honors Program. “It’s where I met all my friends,” she says. “I enjoy how the classes go deeper – students ask deep questions and we have such intense discussions that sometimes my brain hurts because I can’t wrap my mind around the concepts. But then I walk away having a better understanding of the world and whatever topic we are talking about.”
How does Herman balance a rigorous schedule of studying accounting, minoring in KHP, running track, and practicing organ?
“It’s hard,” she admits. “Some semesters have been more difficult than others, but my professors and coaches have been very understanding. And they care about what I’m involved in; just yesterday, my track coach asked, ‘How’s organ going?’ They try to be flexible and help me fit everything in.”
She spends a lot of time in the Business Department, either helping as a teacher’s assistant or studying. “I do a lot of work in the office, because I just like being in there. I listen to the professors’ conversations and get their help with problems. That’s one of the ways I’ve gotten to know my professors best.”
Herman has an accounting role lined up back in Boise after graduation. She hopes to play organ in her home church, too. She won’t run track anymore, but she’s sure to run in her spare time.
“I am thankful for my time at Dordt because it’s helped me to get a stronger grasp of how my faith intertwines with every aspect of my life,” she says. “Accounting, track, organ – I’ve seen how big God is and how he’s created this intricate world where everything connects. I feel like, by being at Dordt, I’ve gained a better understanding of his creation, and that’s probably the most important lesson I’ll take with me as I walk away from this place.”
