Eva Chaffin

University of Denver, Daniels College of Business

“I love loud music, late-night snack runs, colorful Excel spreadsheets and helping others.”

Fun fact about yourself: I once won first place for a short movie based on Rumpelstiltskin shot on a Flip camcorder at a German language immersion camp.

Hometown: Littleton, CO

High School: Heritage High School

Major: Accountancy

Minor: Business Information and Analytics

Favorite Business Course: Financial Decision Making (Professor Andy Sherbo is the coolest person I’ve ever met)

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College: Sunday School teacher and volunteering through church, Fundraising Chair and VP of Finance of Delta Sigma Pi, Professional Sales Club

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Pontiff and Associates – Littleton, CO – Tax Intern
• EY Consulting – Denver, CO

Where will you be working after graduation? EY Consulting, First Year Associate

What company do you admire most? The Walt Disney Company! The idea that creating “magic” through movies, experiences, and entertainment could be one of the largest businesses on the planet has always astounded me and I would love to work for the company one day.

Who is your favorite professor? This question is nearly impossible as I’ve loved almost all my professors, but if I had to pick one it would be Suzette Loving. I feel like her course was challenging without causing any sleepless nights and her personality made me always look forward to coming to class. The way she teaches and reinforces learning worked very well with my learning style, and her grading was always fair. She was always available if students had questions, and I think I probably learned the most I ever have in one quarter while taking her class.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Find out how you work best in a team environment early on! I am a leadership type, and I find that I’m most comfortable in a team when I use that to my advantage! Being good at solving analytical problems, giving presentations, or writing are skills that you should announce early on in group projects so you can choose work that comes naturally to you.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? No matter what you choose to major in, try and take general or elective classes outside of business. Some of my favorite classes in college have been writing, anthropology, and psychology. I’ve taken away many valuable skills to apply to my business and accounting classes.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? Looking back on my college career, I’m constantly surprised by the breadth of information I’ve learned and how interconnected everything is. The things I’ve learned in my business information and analytics classes have helped me significantly in my accountancy classes. The presentation skills I’ve learned from my marketing, business law, and management classes have improved my public speaking skills exponentially. Even though some of my non-major classes felt unnecessary at the time, the skills I gained from them are invaluable to me now.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I wish I would have joined clubs and groups in the business school much earlier on. I’ve made so many close friends and developed leadership experience in all the clubs I joined, but I know I would’ve learned so much more had I joined as a first or second-year student.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I think I’m most proud of the fact that I received offers from all four accounting firms where I applied to intern. It was one of the first times I got to look back at my academic career and see that all my years of hard work were really starting to pay off.

Which classmate do you most admire? I admire Megan King. I have never met anyone who puts as much into her classes at the Daniels College of Business and into the School of Accountancy community as she has. She is always overly prepared for the classes we’ve had together, but is always willing to help others if needed. She is truly an amazing student and future accountant and I would bet you $20 she becomes a CFO before the turns 35.

Who would you most want to thank for your success?

It might be a basic answer, but I would accredit most of my success to my mom. Even in high school, she showed me how important it was to be dedicated to school, sports, and to being the best person possible. Even though she pushed me very hard, she taught me how to take criticism with grace and how to develop my emotional intelligence to better understand my friends and educators. She helped me through my toughest times in college where I felt like I had nowhere to turn, even when I lived 800 miles away. If it wasn’t for her firm yet gentle guidance, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Working for the Walt Disney Company in some capacity
2. Having enough experience and being influential enough in my area of business to be asked to speak in front of students or professionals

What are your hobbies? For a highly analytical person, most of my hobbies are creative outlets. I love creating things, whether its decorations for my room or themed gift baskets for holidays and birthdays. I enjoy creative writing and reading sci-fi and fiction novels and web series. And whenever I’m able, I dance. It’s one of my favorite ways to release energy.

What made Eva such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2021?

“Eva has great passion for anything that she does. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does from playing kickball to trying new technologies. She learns fast and applies information to new challenges with ease. She knows what she wants to do with her career and is motivated to absorb the knowledge that will get her there – I see the Walt Disney company in her future! She shares her insights with those around her and lift the entire class. She is exactly the type of student that you want in all of your classes.”

Kathleen E. Davisson
Assistant Director, School of Accountancy

DON’T MISS: 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2021