Park passed all four parts of the exam, which take fours hours each and average a 53% pass rate nationally.

“Taeyoung is an example of what is possible for our students who commit to achieving their goals,” said Dr. Annette Santos, dean of the School of Business & Public Administration. “When our students succeed, we take pride in that success.”

The support to succeed

Guam law allows students to begin taking the exam sections within 18 months of their graduation date, which allows UOG students to advance more quickly in the career field than graduates in most U.S. states. Having passed the test, Park will now need two years of work experience under a licensed CPA to become licensed himself.

The dean said the accounting degree program has made great strides in “creating a culture of high performance so that we can produce graduates who can pass the CPA exams or other related credentials before they graduate or within a year of graduation.”

Park considers himself an enthusiast for analyzing and providing useful data, so the process of accounting came naturally, but the knowledge base for the field — from procedures to legalities — is extensive. Park said his business and accounting professors at SBPA were crucial in teaching him the material, guiding him to degree completion, and mentoring him on the licensure process.

Park also found support throughout his accounting studies as a member of the Junior Accountants Society, one of SBPA’s 11 undergraduate student organizations.

Credit to the capstone

Of particular influence in Park’s undergraduate education, he said, was the final capstone course, “Business Strategy and Policy,” that is required for all degrees within SBPA.

The capstone course requires business students to showcase their knowledge of multiple fundamental business disciplines to a panel of industry leaders at the SBPA “Snake Pit Competition.”

“The best experience in UOG SBPA, I believe, is the capstone project,” Park said. “Students from all different business majors collaborate to compete in a business simulation game and make a real business plan. It helped me to have deeper insight towards my profession.”

More to achieve

Looking ahead, Park said he plans to start preparing for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam. He also wants to pursue a master’s degree in computer science. His ultimate career goal is to launch an IT company that would provide financial, accounting, and IT security solutions.