- August 2021
Accountant
College of Veterinary Medicine
Starkville Campus
Years in position: 2
Years at MSU: 5
Kelly Stewart helps ensure the financial books are in order at the College of Veterinary Medicine. As an accountant, she is responsible for paying invoices, reconciling accounts, and keeping a daily log of income from the Animal Health Center, Animal Emergency and Referral Center, and Veterinary Specialty Center.
“Every purchase that occurs at CVM crosses my desk,” she said. “It is fascinating to see the diversity of research projects and materials CVM needs to ensure the health and safety of animals. I love that my job has given me the opportunity to learn so many different things and meet so many different people.”
One of her favorite things about the job is witnessing the work done there.
“I find it so rewarding to see the staff and students in the clinic do what they do best and care for so many different animals,” she said.
Stewart said she enjoys her job, adding that it requires good communication skills, patience, and organization.
“An accountant will almost always be juggling multiple tasks at once which will require each of these in order to prevent and catch errors,” she said.
She encourages others to consider accounting as a career even if they are not interested in tax preparation.
“I chose accounting because it provided me such a wide variety of opportunities to work in so many different types of industries, organizations, and businesses,” she said. “Choosing accounting doesn’t mean you have to go into public accounting as soon as you graduate or at all. There are many opportunities available for accounting graduates to use what they learn in the daily operations of a business.
“Not all accountants can, will, or even know how to do someone’s taxes,” Stewart said.
In her spare time, Stewart enjoys binging the latest and greatest on Netflix with her husband, Blake. But her favorite thing to do is cuddle with her three dogs, Remi, Masha and Alex, and her cat, Leslie.