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On May 2, William Foster would have been the first person in his immediate family to walk across a university stage to receive a college degree. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson State, like many other universities, was forced to postpone its May 2020 commencement ceremonies, in hopes of rescheduling at a later date.
Despite postponed graduation, Foster is anticipating starting his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers as an assurance associate in St. Louis, Missouri.
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a multinational professional services network of firms headquartered in London, United Kingdom, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. PwC helps resolve complex issues in the areas of audit and assurance, tax and consulting, cybersecurity and privacy, human resources, deals and forensics.
After interning with the company, Foster was immensely impressed by how “genuine the employees were to the interns and also how they acknowledged their lack of diversity within the firm.” He continues, “I’ve always wanted to assist with the balance of diversity in the corporate world.”
He admits that he is excited about “doing audits and delving into other opportunities within the firm, once the time is right.”
The summa cum laude graduate also discussed one of his short-term goals. “I will be studying for the four-part CPA exam soon. I am definitely kind of nervous about it, but I’m going to focus and be ambitious. I want to pass all four parts in four months.”
Foster accredits JSU for “providing opportunities to network with successful people who were willing to extend their resources to help students achieve their educational goals.”
“There is nothing that can replace the value of an HBCU experience. Attending Jackson State is an experience that I will treasure for years to come.”
In closing, Foster says his motto throughout college was, “If it’s not for free, it’s not for me”. “I always reminded myself that you can’t put a price on opportunities. If there is a free workshop, panel discussion or internship that will help you grow, take advantage of it.”