Katie Ricketson received a special honor last September when she was accepted into the University of North Texas Accounting Scholars Program.
The Marcus alumnus said she was ecstatic to be accepted to the program, which is designed to prepare some of UNT’s strongest students for careers in accounting.
“Being in the program means a lot to me,” Ricketson said. “I am honored to be in it … already feel that I have learned so much in two semesters. I have a professional mentor (Ms. Madhuri Bandla), a student mentor (a senior accounting major) and many opportunities to learn more about the accounting field and to make myself a more well-rounded person.”
Ricketson, 19, said that she has always been fascinated with numbers and said the UNT program seemed like a good fit for her.
“I would say that my interest in accounting began as an interest in math and problem-solving with numbers,” Ricketson said. “I would love to play Sudoku when I was younger. Although this isn’t a math game, I feel that it is representative of what accounting is; knowing where to put numbers and how to interpret them. In school, I was very fascinated with math and always took upper-level math classes, because I enjoyed them and the challenge they presented.”
Ricketson played soccer her freshman and sophomore years at Marcus High School, but then switched her focus to extracurricular activities of a more scholarly nature, as an upperclassman.
The Flower Mound teen joined the National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society in her junior year at Marcus and continued in these organizations until she graduated early in January of 2017.
Ricketson was also a member of the Spanish Honor Society all four years of high school.
The UNT sophomore describes herself as a perfectionist, and said that when she graduates, she already knows what she wants to do.
“I would like to be an accountant with my CPA license,” Ricketson said. “I would like to start out in public accounting to gain experience and knowledge of the accounting field; and, then later, decide my future endeavors. I have aspirations to be a CPA because I think that accounting is so interesting and there are so many paths that one can take.
“The field is always growing and needing new people to join. I feel that I would fit in very well because it is fast-paced and allows you to solve problems and think for yourself.”
Ricketson carries a 4.0 grade point average at UNT.
Ricketson’s Favorites
Favorite Subject: Math/Accounting
The Person Who Most Inspires You: Family and Boyfriend
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Movie: Elf
Favorite TV Show: House Hunters
Book Currently Reading: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Favorite Musical Group or Performer: Justin Timberlake
Nominate your favorite student for this monthly feature brought to you by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound by emailing [email protected].