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Leavey School of Business Santa Clara University

Mary Harmon

Mary Harmon
Accounting and Information Systems Major, Music Minor
Pasadena, California

Areas of Interest at SCU and LSB:
Within LSB, I have found that a lot of my favorite classes have been centered around business ethics and law. In both my general business ethics class as well as my accounting ethics class, I have found that the topics we discuss within the course have captivated my attention and have impacted the way I interact with all of my other classes. Additionally, I thought that the exposure to international business that I received through my ECON 3 class was not only useful but sparked my desire to get involved in programs/organizations/companies with a global mindset that can broaden my typical view of business in the US.

What are your SCU and LSB activities/general hobbies:
Alpha Kappa Psi (Secretary), Women In Business (Director of Philanthropy), Campus Ministry (Music Ministry Intern), SCU Law School (Assistant in Office for Center of Student Involvement), Associated Student Government (Assistant VP of Finance), SCU Chamber Choir, College Catholics, Intramural Sports Outside of campus, I am very involved with music in all forms: choir, musical theater, recital repertoire. I also have developed a love of cooking and baking over the last year and have always loved to play sports and exercise – Go Dodgers!

What global experiences have you had in college? 
Coming into SCU, I was very excited for the study abroad program and knew that I wanted to be involved in that the minute I started researching colleges. I went through the application and selection process and was slated to go to Brussels, Belgium in the Fall of 2020, and due to COVID my program got cancelled. Though this was a hard pill to swallow since this was something I was so excited for, it helped me to realize how much I want to take part in global opportunities in my career post-grad. Through the recruitment process for the Big Four Accounting Firms, I really took note of each firm’s global opportunities, and am excited to be a part of KPMG’s Global Advantage Program and hope to take part in their Global Rotational program once I start at the company full-time after graduation.

What internship/employment opportunities have you taken advantage of at LSB?
Being in the Silicon Valley, there is a lot of recruiting that goes on for all majors on campus and so many ways to get exposure to all different career paths! Freshman year, my OMIS 15 professor brought in a guest speaker who worked at a big four accounting firm to talk about post-grad life, and I emailed him on a whim to ask him if there were any opportunities for freshman students within this firm – and there was! This is just one example of the amazing opportunities provided to SCU students on campus. I was able to attain my internship at KPMG through networking that I did at career fairs and coffee chats provided by SCU!

Favorite LSB Class and Why? 
MGMT 6 – Business Ethics. I took this class freshman year with Professor Bhargava, and each session was so engaging that the 100 minutes went by with ease. The concepts covered in the class were so applicable to our lives and made me think about the world and business situations with a different lens that I am so thankful for. Ever since the class, Professor B and I have stayed in touch – he has written me letters of recommendation, reviewed essays and applications for me, and made it a point to stay in touch with me!

What made you choose to attend LSB? 
Location, location, location! I knew that by growing up in a business-oriented family I wanted to pursue the same field. Being in Silicon Valley meant more networking opportunities, site visits, and recruiting done on campus. Additionally, the unique courses offered as electives in the business school showed me that an education from the LSB can really prepare you for any type of career post-grad!

What advice you wish you had while applying to college? 
Don’t worry about the numbers! Take the time to write out what is important to you in a university, reach out to family/friends who have gone through the application process before, and visit if you can! Look into more than just academics – look at clubs offered, events on the weekends and the unique ways that you would want to get involved! The feel that you get on campus is much more important than the online rankings or where your friends are choosing to go.