Waterford Today

Walsh College issued the following announcement on Jan. 28.

Walsh graduate Autumn Pribula (BBA ’20; MSF ’21) grew up with an affinity for cars. Since she was extremely young, she knew she wanted to work in the automotive industry. That affinity led her to Lawrence Technological University, where she began her education in mechanical engineering. She soon changed her major to finance. “I found out that I wanted to be more numbers-driven. I really wanted to be able to analyze numbers to make plants run more efficiently,” Pribula says. Needing the fuel to take the next step in her education, she decided to make the switch to Walsh in fall of 2018, preferring to attend a business school.

Pribula enrolled in the school’s FastTrack program, taking four master’s classes as an undergraduate student. After completing her bachelor’s degree in finance, it took her an additional year to earn her master’s degree in finance, and she graduated in June 2021. “I knew Walsh had a lot of different networking opportunities and that local and large companies take Walsh graduates,” Pribula says. “I’d be able to get a challenging education and push myself to be better at Walsh.” An active member of the Walsh community, Pribula attended a variety of finance events. Her favorite was the “Financial Futures” panel, which included representatives from Stellantis, PNC Bank, Gunder Wealth Management and Advance Capital Management.

“Being able to meet people and network was a huge motivation to stay active in the school community,” Pribula says. “I wanted to be able to make friends and also to get the most out of school. I wanted the good grades but also to be an outstanding student.” Since her graduation, her motivation continues to drive her. One of seven students from across the U.S. inducted, Pribula joined the Financial Leadership Development Program at Stellantis in July. The two-year program consists of six month-long training sessions in different areas of finance to expose students to a variety of departments and prepare them for future positions. Pribula’s first rotation will be working as a financial analyst at the Mack plant in Detroit.

Pribula thanks professor John Moore, Ph.D., CPA, who helped mentor her throughout her college career and helped her reach her full potential. To any student going into finance, she suggests building relationships and making connections. “My advice would be to become friends with your classmates, because you never know where they’re going, and they can help you in the end,” Pribula says. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions because your professors are there to help you, and they want you to succeed.”

Original source can be found here.