Adriele Almeida

University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Isenberg School of Management

“You can catch me screaming at the Patriots on TV or plowing down a pound of buffalo wings.”

Fun fact about yourself: I watched all 9 seasons of The Office in 3 days, I didn’t sleep for 2 days.

Hometown: Millis, Massachusetts

High School: Millis High School

Major: Accounting

Minor: None

Favorite Business Course: International Accounting

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) – President

Isenberg School of Management – Student Ambassador

Freshman Transitions Seminar – Teaching Assistant

Managerial Accounting ­ – Teaching Assistant

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program– Senior Administrator

Where have you interned during your college career?

PwC ­­(Boston, MA) – Start Intern

PwC (Boston, MA) – Asset Management Assurance Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? PwC – Assurance Associate

Who is your favorite professor? My favorite professor would have to be Sean Wandrei, Isenberg’s best tax professor! He is able to connect really well and is very understanding of his students. He knows how to be that entertaining professor that everybody loves and can relate to, while also being a professor who really wants his students to understand the content so that at the end of the semester they are in the best position possible.

What did you enjoy most about your business school? What I enjoyed the most about Isenberg was how from the very beginning of our academic career, we were groomed to be professionals. Throughout my four years at Isenberg, I was taught how to present myself professionally and how to attain that level of success that I desired which really helps you make those important personal and business connections.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would tell any student looking to major in something business-related to ask lots of questions. As a freshman, it is normal to be shy and not want to ask questions, but every single answer you receive will help you make the best decision for your career. From what I have learned, people not only like having their questions answered thoughtfully but people also really enjoy answering questions thoughtfully in order to help those seeking advice.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? What has surprised me the most about majoring in accounting, or any major in business, is that it is very important knowing how to approach and connect with people and keeping those connections throughout your life. A lot of these connections came from the extracurriculars that I took part in, and many of them were very impactful towards my career. I was surprised that many of the opportunities that arose in the past 4 years have been from people wanting to help me succeed, which I am very grateful for.

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying…to become a meteorologist. I have always had a weird fascination with weather. As a child, and even to this day, when there are tornado, hurricane or blizzard warnings, I love to watch the Weather Channel or local news broadcasts to see the hour-by-hour forecast of the impending storm. The day leading up to the storm, or the day of the storm, I would watch the weather broadcast for hours and make sure I was up-to-date and not missing anything going on. I even took an Introduction to Meteorology course in college because I couldn’t help myself and wanted to learn more.”

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? The people that most influenced my decision to pursue business in college were two interns at PwC. At the time, I had just finished my junior year of high school and really had no idea what I wanted to pursue a career in. I was accepted to attend a PwC leadership camp during the summer, and during the week, two interns that had previously been part of the same camp that I had were talking about their internship and college experiences and I remember feeling like I was capable of doing what they were doing. It was the first time that I felt I knew what I wanted to do in college and career-wise.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of the time that I was president of ALPFA. During that time, I made most of my closest friendships with people that I couldn’t imagine being without. Whether they were on the executive board or general body members, many of us have a bond where to this day, we are constantly doing things with one another and I know that it won’t end once I graduate. I am extremely proud of it because I know that many people leave college without those true friendships.

Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate that I most admire is my close friend Gabriel Perez. I remember meeting him after one of our ALPFA meetings where he told me was also majoring in Accounting and was interested in working at PwC. He had just started his exchange program at UMass from Puerto Rico and was looking to get involved at Isenberg. He told me that he had recently interviewed with PwC, and the recruiter had told him that he should improve his English skills and reapply later on. Most people, including myself, would just apply to other firms and see if they got offered anything else. However, Gabe had his path set with PwC and decided that he would do everything he could do in order to improve his English and land the internship. He then decided to take classes at an American university, UMass Amherst. For two semesters, he worked to improve his English with classes and with the help of his friends. When the end of the busy interviewing season came, he came up to me so excited saying that he was offered an internship with PwC, and I was honestly just as elated. It excites me even more that I will able with Gabe post-graduation as we join PwC together.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? The person that I have to thank for my success is my mother. Without her, I wouldn’t be close to the person that I am today. Anytime I ever need her help, it could be the most inconveniencing situation for her, and she would put everything down without hesitation to make sure I get whatever I need done. She never let me or anyone else put me down, and she never let me look back, only forward. Because of all the sacrifices she has made throughout her life for me, I am able to be where I am today, and I will always be grateful – and with that success, I’ll make sure she gets the in-law apartment she’s always wanted.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? The top two items on my bucket list are seeing the Bruins win game seven of the Stanley Cup in person and seeing the Aurora Borealis.

What are your hobbies? My hobbies are listening to string quartet covers, watching the Red Sox, Bruins and Patriots, watching crime TV shows with my best friends, watching HGTV with my mom, shopping at Marshalls, and cooking for my friends and family.

What made Adriele such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2019?

“I was honored to meet Adriele during her summer orientation as she was a student in my Partners in Education program. Adriele has always been the type of student who takes full advantage of opportunities, she is definitely an agent of her education and success.  Additionally, she is someone who gives just as much as she receives and I love this about her.  Adriele loves UMass, and that is evident in the way she talks about the university and gets involved with so much on campus. I have had the pleasure of knowing her as her academic dean, her advisor, her instructor, her boss, and as her club advisor.  She has been a delight to work with and am so proud of her many accomplishments.  Adriele never hesitates to mentor other students.  She motivates others and takes time to appreciate her peers and faculty. She’s always on the Dean’s List with her academics; she is heavily involved and has led the Association of Latino Professionals for American in their annual toy drive for disadvantaged children she has coached other students on how to become successful agents of their own education; she has dedicated time to helping recruit students from underrepresented groups; she has volunteered to help other students with their taxes; she has done all of this with a smile on her face and a tenacious dedication towards the success of everyone around her. She is intelligent, resourceful, motivational, caring, honest, supportive, and open to working with anybody.”

Melvin Rodriguez
Assistant Dean
Isenberg Undergraduate Advising and Diversity