Nancy Diaz Gets Down to Business with Career Preparation

When Nancy Diaz ’19 first arrived at Lebanon Valley College, she was shy, trying to determine a career path, and unsure of what college life would hold.

Three years later, she is serving as a campus leader and managing finances as the senior class treasurer, reflecting on the completion of a terrific local internship, and preparing for graduation with a degree in business administration.

As the class treasurer, Diaz works with other members of Student Government to examine budgets and allocate money to the 90+ student clubs and organizations at LVC. “This has taught me to prioritize where we allocate the money that has been allotted for student activities and take pride in doing so as student activities are a large part of who we are at LVC,” she said.

Budgeting and allocations were also a large part of the internship Diaz completed in the business office at the Lebanon School District last spring. She used the skills she learned in her Intermediate Accounting and Modern Business Organizations courses.

“A lot of the things in these classes involved taxes, ethical issues, and managing office issues,” she said. “One of the things in my internship that could not be stimulated in a classroom was learning the culture of the office. Every organization is different and while I knew every technical skill needed in my classes, learning to adapt to an organization and its culture was something I had to develop.”

Dr. Kimberlee Josephson, assistant professor of business administration, has served as an inspiration and mentor to Diaz. “Through her teaching and experiences before coming to LVC, I was able to see that I could do a variety of different jobs in a business career. These countless opportunities helped me realize that business administration is where my passion lies,” said Diaz. 

As Diaz approaches graduation, she appreciates the challenging classes, events such as Accounting Night, mock interviews, and numerous other ways the College helped prepare her for a great career. “This school is ranked first in the nation in regard to job placement and it is easy to see why. The professors here really care about our successes and will go to no end to make us successful,” she said.