Small town girl working toward big dreams at University of Mount Olive

MOUNT OLIVE — As a first-generation college student, Macy Parkhurst had no frame of reference for what her college experience might hold.  However, what she did have was a great family foundation and a determination to succeed in anything that she set her mind to do.  

Parkhurst graduated from Charles B. Aycock High School in 2021. Casting a wide net of college applications, she landed at the University of Mount Olive (UMO), just a short distance from her home in the rural farming community of Pikeville.  

“I chose UMO because of the close-knit community and the numerous opportunities that were made available to me,” she said. Receiving a great financial aid package as well as being a Golden Leaf Scholarship recipient sealed the deal for Parkhurst.   

At UMO, Parkhurst began her studies in the Tillman School of Business as a business management major. However, after her first accounting class, she fell in love with the course material and switched her educational pathway.  “After switching majors, I took my first tax class, and was hooked,” she said.

This semester she is putting her tax accounting skills to the test during a 24-hour per-week spring internship with Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPAs and Advisors in Goldsboro. “The internship is showing me what a day in the life of a tax accountant is like. I am learning how to complete returns while gaining real-world application of my UMO coursework.”

“CRI has been a fantastic partner for the Tillman School of Business Accounting Department,” said Waylon Woodall, Assistant of the UMO Tillman School of Business.  “We greatly appreciate their receptiveness to our student events, like our annual Meet the Firms. Furthermore, Michael Jordan, a local CRI partner, serves as an adjunct instructor in many of our courses.  Ultimately, our goal in the business school is to provide real-world experiences to students both in the classroom and in the field. CRI has offered value to our students in both of these areas.”

In addition to her current internship, UMO has assisted Parkhurst with locating other employment opportunities including interning in the University’s Office of Communications and Marketing, working with Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company in Goldsboro, and as a UMO Tour Guide and Resident Advisor.  Parkhurst is heavily involved in campus life as well.  She is an Honor’s student, CAB (campus activities board) member, and President of the UMO Accounting Society.  “I have a very strong work ethic,” she revealed.  “All of these experiences have helped strengthen my professional skills and grow me as an individual.”

Starting this fall, Parkhurst will enter her senior year at UMO.  The future looks bright for this motivated and outgoing college student.  She credits her family for being her biggest supporters, and her professors for paving the way to endless possibilities.  “I am motivated to succeed,” she said.  I think about the future often and strive to work hard every day to reach my dreams and aspirations.”

Her plans include obtaining her CPA, MBA, and Juris Doctorate. “My ultimate goal is to practice law as a tax attorney,” she said.  “I look forward to giving back to the community that has helped mold me into the person that I am today.”

 The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The Convention of Original Free Will Baptists founded the University.  For more information, visit www.umo.edu.