Just a few years ago, Allen Benson was an accounting student at Grand Canyon University when he attended a Meet the Firms hiring fair.
An admittedly nervous Benson met two representatives from Arizona Auditor General, as well as officials from other accounting firms. But when an actual person, and not an automated voice, responded after he submitted his application, he was impressed.
That authenticity stood out and is a major reason why he was eager to represent Arizona Auditor General – where he has worked as an auditor for nearly two years – during a recent Meet the Firms.
“It's just great to give back and help other students trying to figure out what they want to do, and hopefully they can get a job out of college, just like I experienced,” Benson said.
Multiple GCU alumni represented many of the 20 companies that set up shop on the first floor and lobby of the Colangelo College of Business. They sported stickers that read "GCU Alum Lopes Up!" and backed up that loyalty by volunteering to represent their companies and providing information and direction to GCU students that are in the same position they were in several years ago.
“I've been doing recruiting fairs for a handful of years now,” said Alex Manriquez, a senior associate with Heinfeld, Meech & Co., an accounting, auditing and consulting firm.
Manriquez, who graduated from GCU in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, hasn’t forgotten what it’s like for students to explore career possibilities with an array of companies.
“It seems like it's such a daunting task to talk to all these recruiters,” said Manriquez, who started with Arizona Auditor General for six years before joining Heinfeld, Meech & Co. nearly three years ago. “It's a scary thing. Some kids might not know what they want to do full time. They might still be figuring it out. And it's important that we, as recruiters, help bridge that gap and give them information, connect with them, answer any questions they might have.”
Anthony Esqueda, a freshman public accounting major, passed on some of the promotional freebies that many of the companies were offering. His hands were full of brochures and pamphlets from several representatives, and he had yet to walk down the corridor, where a majority of companies were stationed.
“I've been able to talk to corporate side companies, like APS, and public firms, like Haga Kommer,” Esqueda said. “I would say this is very helpful. I’m a freshman, so I’m just trying to help myself.”
Esqueda joined the Accounting Society at GCU and was grateful that a Meet the Firms event was held for the spring semester, since he couldn't attend an event in September.
Nolan Hokanson started his master’s degree program in January 2024 at the same time he started at REDW, a certified public accounting and advisory firm. His experience at GCU gave him a greater perspective of what it means to help prospective accountants and steer them in a direction that best suits their skills.
“The faculty helped me out because accounting, in general, is very broad. So they helped me gauge where I wanted to go, what my career interests were and that’s what I hope to give back to the students," Hokanson said. "So it’s definitely helpful to have somebody help you out that way.”
The second he heard about the chance to talk to GCU students at Meet the Firms, "I jumped in the car and headed over here,” he said.
Another reason GCU alums were so eager to represent their companies was the instruction and guidance they received from the business college, including accounting chair Dr. Kelly Damron.
“She looked at my resume several times,” Benson recalled of his time as a GCU student. “She marked a lot of x’s on the first resume I showed here, and I started from scratch. It was very nerve-wracking, but I'm really glad that she told me the straight-up truth.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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