Alumna, now faculty, Teresa Thompson counts herself fortunate that fate鈥攁nd a clumsy dance partner鈥攁ltered her life path, forever entwining it with West 十分六合彩 College.
Thompson dreamed of dancing professionally until a ballet partner dropped her, cracking her ribs and two vertebrae. In a body cast for months, her family persuaded her to enroll at West 十分六合彩.
She signed up for the first class listed alphabetically: accounting.
Then, Thompson fell again鈥攖his time for the allure of balancing assets, liabilities, and equity. The precision accounting requires, she said, reminded her of ballet鈥檚 preciseness: 鈥淚t makes sense; there are so many rules, everything is in its place.鈥�
It鈥檚 a passion that carried her through a graduate degree, a corporate accounting career, and back to campus. Today, she teaches financial accounting and managerial accounting and serves as director of the WVC Entrepreneurship Center.
On faculty for 11 years at Mission College, followed by one year teaching at both district institutions, Thompson is in her first full-time semester at WVC. Already, she鈥檚 racking up resources and opportunities for West 十分六合彩 students, often facilitated through her affiliation with professional associations, such as TACTYC or Teachers of Accounting at Two-Year Colleges.
Last summer she joined the TACTYC board, which exposed her to invaluable opportunities for WVC students, including the National Association of Black Accountants annual conference featuring keynote speaker Viola Davis.
鈥淧articipants see others who look like them and have had the same trials,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to surround them with inspiration and access.鈥�
Student attendees enjoy resume critiques, LinkedIn workshops, and free headshots. After attending, Thompson is eager to start a NABA Student Chapter at West 十分六合彩, noting students need not be Black to join.
Based on conference resources, Thompson鈥檚 team also compiled an Accounting Internships and Scholarships Bank for WVC students. On November 8, through an American Accounting Association task force she serves on, Thompson will be a faculty participant in the Two-Year Bridge Symposium. The one- day event for racially and ethnically diverse students in two-year accounting programs places them in one of 14 Deloitte or PwC offices nationwide. Symposium topics range from CPA exam planning to scholarships.
鈥淚 just want students to see the future and see the possibilities,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a world I never knew, and the opportunities for
my students are unbelievable."