By the time Kohana Nakato finished her undergraduate degree in accounting at the University of Oregon, she knew she wanted to stay an additional year and pursue her master's.
“I wanted to strengthen my professional network, apply the technical skills I developed during my undergraduate studies, and earn the additional credits needed to pursue my CPA,” she explained.
Choosing a specialization wasn't a hard call. With a tax associate role already on the horizon, Kohana gravitated toward taxation. She says every track in the MAcc program has something to offer, but tax stood out for how directly it prepared her for real work: regulatory changes, entity-specific tax treatment, and strategic planning, all covered in a way that builds a foundation students can carry straight into their careers.
That foundation showed up fast. Kohana completed all four sections of the CPA exam before she even finished the program, a milestone she credits in part to how closely the MAcc coursework overlaps with exam content. Planning her class schedule and study timeline together helped reinforce the material from both directions. And she didn't do it alone. Her cohort, all working toward the same goal at the same time, became a steady source of motivation and support.
Ask Kohana what she'll remember most about the MAcc program, and the answer is simple: the people.
“Spending a full academic year with people entering the same industry creates a great opportunity to build lasting connections and expand your network across different companies, roles, and geographic locations,” she said.
She's also quick to credit the faculty and staff who supported her along the way, as students prepare not just for exams, but for life after graduation.
This winter, Kohana will join Baker Tilly's Portland office as a tax associate.
—Megan Jessup-Varnum, Lundquist College Communications