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Since she was a little girl, Carly Bender had dreamed of following her uncle to Vanderbilt, where he earned both an undergraduate and a law degree. “I always looked up to him,” says the Dallas native. “He always told me what a great place Vanderbilt was, and the fact that it is such a prestigious university made me set a goal to attend one day.”
She even imagined she might follow in his footsteps: law school, then investment banking. “But I couldn’t imagine three more years of school,” Carly laughs. “I’d rather do just one.”
That’s one reason the MAcc program at Vanderbilt appealed to Carly, who majored in accounting with a minor in math at SMU in Dallas. After doing a tax internship and deciding to try something new, she originally considered the MAcc audit track, but upon learning of Vanderbilt’s new MAcc Valuation track, she says, she immediately knew that the program’s combination of accounting and finance made it perfect for her.
Adjusting her plans is nothing new to Carly. She’s been a twirler since age 7 — and was the featured twirler with SMU’s marching band. “You have no idea how much the wind and sun influence a performance,” she says. “There have been times I’ve thrown my baton high into the air, only to have to sprint to catch it because of the wind.”
But Carly is nothing if not prepared. She even brought her baton to Nashville, in case she wants to perform in the MBA talent show. And even if she doesn’t twirl for her classmates, don’t be surprised to see her practicing somewhere close by. “I twirl because I love it,” she says. “It gives me confidence, and I am truly passionate about it.”
Carly Bender
Vanderbilt Master of Accountancy Valuation 2013Adjusting to the Weather
Twirling gives Bender confidence for new career pathSince she was a little girl, Carly Bender had dreamed of following her uncle to Vanderbilt, where he earned both an undergraduate and a law degree. “I always looked up to him,” says the Dallas native. “He always told me what a great place Vanderbilt was, and the fact that it is such a prestigious university made me set a goal to attend one day.”
She even imagined she might follow in his footsteps: law school, then investment banking. “But I couldn’t imagine three more years of school,” Carly laughs. “I’d rather do just one.”
That’s one reason the MAcc program at Vanderbilt appealed to Carly, who majored in accounting with a minor in math at SMU in Dallas. After doing a tax internship and deciding to try something new, she originally considered the MAcc audit track, but upon learning of Vanderbilt’s new MAcc Valuation track, she says, she immediately knew that the program’s combination of accounting and finance made it perfect for her.
Adjusting her plans is nothing new to Carly. She’s been a twirler since age 7 — and was the featured twirler with SMU’s marching band. “You have no idea how much the wind and sun influence a performance,” she says. “There have been times I’ve thrown my baton high into the air, only to have to sprint to catch it because of the wind.”
But Carly is nothing if not prepared. She even brought her baton to Nashville, in case she wants to perform in the MBA talent show. And even if she doesn’t twirl for her classmates, don’t be surprised to see her practicing somewhere close by. “I twirl because I love it,” she says. “It gives me confidence, and I am truly passionate about it.”
