Trevor Walto (2007)

It was great to hear from Trevor recently. He says,

"My wife and I are getting ready to celebrate our second anniversary in about a month. We are attending and involved at Brookside Baptist in Brookfield. It is great to see God’s hand in and to be a part of a growing church.

"I recently finished up my Masters Degree in accounting (MPA) at UW Whitewater which gave me the 150 credit hours I needed to sit for the CPA exam. I then spent the summer studying full-time for the exam using the Becker review program. It is unbelievable the amount of information that one needs to take in to be prepared properly. I took the Regulation section in May, which I passed, and took the remaining three sections in July and August. I just found out last week that I passed all of them except Auditing on my first try. I will retake that section in November before the new changes go into effect.

"I am now starting my fourth week at Deloitte and am working in the tax department in the Milwaukee offices. I am still learning a lot of what my job will entail but generally we work with expatriates and inpatriates both in a tax preparation role and in a tax advisory role.

I consider myself very blessed to be in the position I am right now. As I worked through my Masters program at Whitewater, there were many other students that I talked to that were having trouble finding jobs. God has blessed me with a job in this tough economy and not only that but a job at one of the Big Four accounting firms!

"It is amazing to look back over all of my challenging experiences and see God’s guiding hand. I had my own plans for my career and how it would progress but God’s plan was so much better. If I had not let Him work and tried to do things my own way I may not have experienced it."

Stephen White (2010)

Stephen White shares an update on where God has led him since graduating in December 2009.

"The night before my wedding (May 28, 2010), one of the companies that I had interviewed with in February contacted me and asked if I had found permanent employment. After a four hour interview the week after my honeymoon, I received a job offer. I accepted!

"I am a sales assistant for a manufacturer's representative company outside of Chicago. The company represents suppliers to retail stores (Ace Hardware, True Value, Blaine's Farm and Fleet, etc.).

"Because there are only 7 employees, we all wear multiple hats all the time. I very much enjoy the challenge and risk of the small business. I am responsible for the "upkeep" of relationships with more than 20 different companies. My main role is operational and administrative, but I am always involved with marketing, consulting, customer service and, of course, sales.

"Being a Christian in a small business environment definitely has its challenges and rewards. I would appreciate your prayers as I work at being a light."

Angela (Henry) Silver ('10)

Angela started a new job September 1 as "the accountant for Spread Truth (check out www.spreadtruth.com). It will be mostly bookkeeping, using Quickbooks."

Angela took Accounting Software for Small Business in her final semester at Maranatha last Spring where she learned much about QuickBooks. Pursuing her CPA designation may be in her near future as well.

Angela received special recognition at graduation last May:

"The Department of Business recognizes Miss Angela Henry as the 2010 Student Achievement Award recipient. As an Accounting Management major, Miss Henry earned a grade point average of 3.94 while maintaining an active extracurricular schedule and gaining the respect of her peers and professors. Miss Henry served as a senior class officer and held multiple other offices and on-campus leadership positions while pursuing her education. She participated in campus music and missions ministries. As a Music Concentration student, Miss Henry qualified as a finalist in the 2010 Commencement Contest in piano, while also preparing for her senior music recital. She traveled to South Africa in the summer of 2009 on a College mission trip. Miss Henry served faithfully in the music and children’s ministries at the Stoughton Baptist Church of Stoughton, Wisconsin. Her fellow seniors consistently acknowledged her superior leadership and accounting skills as a team member for her Senior Capstone team project."

Of course, since her wedding this summer she is Mrs. Brian Silver! :^) Brian serves as College Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church of Normal, Illinois.

Matt Evon ('09)

Matt and his wife, Kris, bought a house this year where they live in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. They have one child, pictured here. Her name is Ginger.

Matt says, "We are in a VERY good church down here. We have been attending Cross and Crown Baptist Church for 5 months now, and we absolutely love it. The preaching is very good, and the people truly have a heart for the Lord. I’ve been playing the piano consistently for offerings/special music, and Kris and I help out with the youth group on Wednesday nights. Many military personnel attend our church so it is nice to have brothers and sisters in Christ who can relate to the struggles of Army life."

Matt has been training extensively in his finance and accounting role for the US Army. He's also finding some time for golf.

Monica Swaagman ('04)

Monica has been working hard! and succeeding!

She earned her master's degree in Accounting at UW-Milwaukee and then completed all four sections of the CPA exam. In July, she received notification that she passed all four parts on the first try!

Monica Swaagman has been an Assistant Vice President, Controller, at First Bank Financial Centre in Oconomowoc since January 2009. She's quite confident that her work there will qualify for the experience requirements to gain her CPA license. She can submit her application to the Accounting Examining Board on September 23 and, then, wait to hear if the members agree.

Hopefully, we'll have some more good news to communicate then!