Opening Doors to Success

Earnest Pettway ’15 VSB ’17 MAC was drawn to VSB for his undergraduate education because he knew he would get a world-class education in any area of business he chose to pursue. He continued his education at Villanova for his Master of Accounting due to the invaluable relationships he built with his undergraduate professors and his passion to pursue a career in financial services. Pettway, who was raised in California, felt comfortable travelling across the country to pursue his education because he had trust in the high-quality education he would receive at VSB and the family culture with students and professors. 

After graduating with his BBA in Accounting, Pettway found himself interested in the Master of Accounting program at VSB because of the hands-on experiences it would provide him while earning the credit hours necessary to earn his CPA and launch his career in the Big 4. He attributes his decision to earn his Master of Accounting degree to conversations with Stephen Liedtka, Associate Professor, Accounting & Information Systems, Jeanne Liedtka, Assistant Professor, Marketing & Business Law, and Patricia Crenny, Associate Professor of the Practice, Accounting & Information Systems. After completion of the Master of Accounting degree program, Pettway spent 2 years in auditing at KPMG and 2 years at Ernst & Young, and acknowledges the advice and guidance he received from Edward A. Liva, Professor of Practice, Accounting, in landing his internship and full time job at KPMG. Pettway explains that Professor Liva, like the other professors Pettway met during his time at Villanova, “one hundred percent invested in my career and how my career was progressing following graduation, rather than just being concerned with the hour and a half a week I spent with them in the classroom.” 

Looking ahead, Pettway is now pursuing his MBA, and attributes his Villanova education to his acceptance into prestigious MBA programs. Pettway is currently choosing between the Darden School of Business at UVA and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern for his MBA, pivoting toward a career path in strategy consulting. After speaking to admissions officers from these prestigious MBA programs, Pettway affirmed his belief that his VSB education including the Master of Accounting degree, and associated experiences, were critical factors in his acceptances. Pettway couldn’t thank VSB enough for opening this door for him to pursue his lifelong career ambitions, and attributes his successes to the quality of VSB education and lifelong relationships with students and professors he gained from his time as an undergraduate and graduate student at VSB.