The Scholars for Business Achievement hosted guest speaker Gabriel de la Rosa Thursday, Feb. 20 in the Wilden Lecture Hall for an informative evening on his career path after graduating from APU.
The 1988 APU alumnus opened the speaker series talking about his transition from school into a career with global audit, tax and advisory services firm, KPMG.
De la Rosa currently serves as the global lead partner for Symantec Corporation and Synopsys, Inc., two software companies with combined revenue of almost $9 billion. He was also a part of the advisory board that launched Azusa Pacific’s Leung School of Accounting.
“I really owe a lot to APU. It’s really where I got my opportunity to be where I am today,” de la Rosa said. “The Bible-based teachings and the ethics that you get through a Christ-based institution, it just really meshes well with what we are expected in our profession. We are expected to have the highest integrity and have the highest ethical standards.”
SBA is a student-run committee that provides an outlet for students to develop professionally by hosting events with speakers and creating networking opportunities.
Sophomore business management major and SBA President Delaney Hoyle believes that the speaker series is an opportunity for students to learn what business is like outside APU.
“He really gives students what it’s like working in the real world,” Hoyle said. “They’ve gone through the same thing that we’re going to be going through. He specifically has come from APU and made it big-time, which is what a lot of students want.”
The event was open to all students, including those from other departments.
“I was hoping to touch at least a couple folks who were kind of undecided and weren’t sure of entering public accounting, and maybe [they] have misperceptions of accountants,” de la Rosa said.
Junior accounting major Cherrylani Refareal said it was “really helpful” to hear about what de la Rosa went through after graduation.
“I’m lost on what I’m supposed to do after college,” Refareal said. “It kind of gives me hope that I’ll be successful.”