Overview: Based in Newark NJ, Sherida Hinckson ‘20 graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in Accounting and a minor in Spanish. She will be starting a position as a staff auditor with research at EY (Ernst & Young) in January, uncertain whether it will be remote or not.
As a TCNJ student, Sherida was president of The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and served on the planning board for “TCNJ Middle School Day” – a campus-wide community event where students from Ewing and Trenton public schools become mini-members of the TCNJ community. Some memorable classes included ACC 301 and ACC 191, a freshman seminar where accounting firms would present their businesses and learning opportunities to students. “That’s where I first initially discovered EY and attended career fairs. It really helped with networking.”
Recently, Sherida was a speaker at the TEDxTCNJ talks, which aired in November. “I was really, really excited to apply for it,” said Sherida, who spoke about the importance of teamwork, leveraging resources, and the real definition of social distance and its value. “I would have loved to have presented it in front of the student body, but the fact that we were able to even get the videotape in the TV studio and have that quality production was still an amazing experience.”
Moving forward, Sherida says it feels weird to be an alum of TCNJ now but is interested in potentially working in improving leadership and rigor in education, particularly with non-profit and volunteer work. “I’ve always liked volunteering, community building, and passion projects,” said Sherida. She is also working on acquiring her CPA license, which she describes as a challenging but humbling process.
Advice to Students: Sherida suggests to students to not forget their network during the coronavirus: “Be present and support student organizations!” She also mentions asking professors and peers for advice and insight into job opportunities: “Your degree doesn’t limit opportunities.”
Fun Fact: Sherida spent a summer during college interning internationally in Colombia for EY and helped conduct an audit for an oil company, putting her Spanish minor to use.