Anthony Patrick

Miami University, Farmer School of Business

“Unappreciated comedian dreaming of tomorrow by embracing the wonders and smiles of today.”

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve ridden a camel and an elephant but not a horse!

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

High School: Gilmour Academy

Major: Accounting

Minor: N/A

Favorite Business Course: ACC 655 – Governance, Executive Leadership, & Risk Assessment

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College: Rinella Learning Center Academic Tutor, Admissions Tour Guide, Pi Sigma Epsilon Director of Recruitment, National Association of Black Accountings, Multicultural Business Association

Honors/Awards: PCAOB Scholar, Dean’s List, President’s List, Employee Service Leadership

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Nationwide (Innosource): Controllership Intern on AFS Close Team
  • Columbus, OH
• Ernst & Young (EY): Launch Intern
  • Columbus, OH
• KeyBank: Financial Services Intern
  • Cleveland, OH
• Protiviti Inc.: Internal Audit & Financial Services Intern
  • Cleveland, OH

Where will you be working after graduation? Protiviti Inc.: Consultant | Cleveland, OH

Who is your favorite business professor? Dr. Brian Ballou. Ballou embodies what it means to be an investor of his students; his infectious passion – combined with tangible, relevant, and critical business insights and examples amidst his lectures – reflects his belief in the power of education and investing in the next generation of business leaders.

He constantly reaffirms the power and value of our Master’s education and communicates the importance of ensuring each class experience is an opportunity to live up to this power and value .

He creates a personalized learning experience that cultivates an experimental learning environment. He takes the time to know and understand our names and aspirations while intentionally incorporating our insights into the lecture and seeing our contributions as an opportunity to advance course objectives.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Being a business professional is more than just possessing the acumen, it is being committed to the necessary discipline and community-building to create value for those around you in everything you do.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Continuously expose yourself to those who embody what success means for you, letting their example inspire you and guide in a way hard work and good grades alone cannot.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? Throughout every course that I have taken, I have found myself in some capacity challenged to understand how my field of study intimately interacts and impacts other fields. This systems-thinking approach to business education was surprising simply because it fundamentally altered my accounting tunnel-vision to intimately recognize how the value I generate as an accountant is contributing to an intricate network of diverse professionals and stakeholders.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? One thing that I would do differently is simply explore more opportunities to take accounting electives sooner in my collegiate journey. Electives are incredible opportunities to develop an even more intimate understanding of your field. Exploring electives sooner would have helped contemplate and explore questions and experiences I have yet to ask while beginning to specialize in certain aspects of accounting.

What business leader do you admire most? Miron Marcotte – Central Regional Managing Director at Protiviti.

Miron is, in many ways, the embodiment of the kind of business leader I aspire to be. As an intern, I was introduced to Miron and quickly recognized the friend and mentor potential of Miron. I admire him because of his approach to leadership: ensure each person knows they are a value-contributing member of the team and “lean-in” everything you do. “Leaning in” means being fully present and committed to those around you while seeing each challenge and goal as an opportunity to redefine success. On a more personal level, the sincerity and kindness of Miron is one I will never forget, demonstrating what it truly means to be a member of Protiviti.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? Being named a PCAOB Scholar was a humbling testament of the collegiate experience and impact I have fostered in these four years. To simply be considered amongst a pool of incredible students invoked a sense of pride and gratitude in myself and the Miami community I belong to.

Which classmate do you most admire? Twila Dovas – Having worked on two teams with Twila, I am proud to call her teammate and friend. As her teammate, I witnessed first-hand her dedication to excellence, collaborative spirit in developing common goals, and problem-solving skills when tackling a challenge. She is a friend and student of integrity and sincere kindness that leaves an unmistakable mark in and out the classroom.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents will always have my heartfelt gratitude for my success. My parents instilled a joy for the world and life itself and for the pursuit of knowledge and excellence. It is because of them that we are a family of celebrators, seeing every moment of growth and success worthy of sincere support and celebration. Every moment of success I have experienced will always originate to their love and opportunities they fostered.

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

1. Become a member of a company’s board of directors
2. Develop an scholarship to fund prospective business students exploring professional summer opportunities

What are your hobbies? Running, Gaming, Reading, Zoos, Traveling

What made Anthony such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2023?

“Anthony was in my MAcc class last year. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe what an amazing young man he is – engaged, open-minded, thoughtful, ambitious, (in a good way!), considerate, smart, engaging…awesome! As examples:

Student teams lead the class on two different days over the semester. Anthony was clearly the leader on his team, and their presentation days were not just full of thoughtful analyses of the topic – they incorporated relevant, challenging, and fun activities for students to do during class as well.

Anthony volunteered to come to our AAG meeting to discuss accountancy pipeline challenges! How many students would be confident and comfortable enough to sit in the dean’s conference room surrounded by accomplished executives and have a say in the challenges the profession faces? And his ideas and input were incredibly insightful. Amazing!

Anthony was so inspiring in that meeting that he’s prompted me to consider creating a recent alums/student advisory board.”

Jon Pyzoha
Associate Professor, Accountancy

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