Whether you’re looking for a club to socialize in, or one that provides a gateway to your future career, you always want a place where you fit in. NABA QC believes that they are the perfect balance as a club for students who are looking for a place where they can mingle as well as develop professionally.
The National Association of Black Accountants is a club dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for students who want to enter business fields such as accounting or finance. The Queens College chapter believes that although they are a business club, they are also a group of easygoing individuals who want to make their college experiences as enjoyable as possible.
Former club president and current senior advisor, Alan Joseph, says that NABA’s main purpose on campus is to professionally develop its members to set them up for success after college.
With events that cover an array of topics such as resume building, mock interviews and interview workshops, their members and the events’ attendees have the ability to enjoy networking opportunities, while learning how to conduct themselves in a business setting.
Joseph feels that NABA is set apart from other business clubs on campus because of their ability to balance professional and personal development.
“We take the events seriously, but we also know how to be laid back…having that balance is what makes being a club fun. Especially since we all want to see each other win and succeed,” Joseph said.
Although NABA’s name insinuates that the club is strictly for black students or only for accountants, NABA QC has made its mission to include people from all other backgrounds.
“At one point in time, NABA was primarily for black students, but that’s not the case nowadays, as everybody is welcome to join,” Joseph said.
The association’s inclusivity is one of the reasons why junior Drashti Bagadia decided to join the club.
Bagadia, an accounting and economics major from India, said that she was apprehensive to join the club at first, but felt at ease after knowing that she didn’t have to be an African American in order to join the club.
In addition to the club’s goal of inclusion, Bagadia was attracted to their annual conference, where students are able to network with professionals from the top companies in the country.
As an accounting and economics major, she saw NABA’s Eastern Region Conference in Norfolk, Virginia as a great opportunity to get her foot into the door of one of the Big 4 accounting firms.
“They had resume workshops, networking opportunities, and most importantly, the career fair that really interested me,” Bagadia said.
One of the most memorable experiences of the convention in October for Bagadia was the dining etiquette workshop, where NABA professionals gave lessons on which utensils to use and how to use them correctly during business meals.
Many students dream of the chance to get an internship offer from a large accounting or finance company, and luckily, Bagadia was one of roughly half of the 25 NABA QC members to get a callback from an impressive accounting firm.
