May 2011 graduate Thomas Moye has kept busy during this year’s tax season since he’s been hired as an accountant at local tax firm Anna Marie Hanna, CPA, LLC.

Growing up in Austin, Texas, Moye originally aspired to become a chemical engineer.  However, after reading John Grisham’s “The Firm,” Moye said that he “fell in love with the idea of the business world.”

It also helped that his father is an accountant and manager in a corporation.

When Moye enrolled in Francis Marion University, he did so as an accounting major, a decision that he has not regretted.

Moye said that during his time at FMU, his classes and professors helped prepare him for his current career.

He thanked his academic adviser in particular for helping shape his path.

“Dr. Charles Carpenter was my adviser from the beginning to the ending of my time at Francis Marion,” Moye said. “Without his guidance, his mentorship and his friendship, I can honestly say that I would have not become the person that I am today.”

Moye praised his four years at FMU.

“It was wonderful,” Moye said. “I love the atmosphere and focus that the teachers give to students. My classes and my professors provided me with the basic fundamentals that I need in order to accomplish tasks that I am given by my employer.”

Moye plans to stay with his current job and work at the tax firm until he goes to graduate school in August of this year.

He said that since he doesn’t have his CPA distinction yet, he has basically been “doing a little bit of everything,” including taxes, corporate bookkeeping, and technical support.

Moye has been accepted to the University of Virginia, where he will work on earning his master’s of accountancy with a focus on auditing.

He said that an experience he had while enrolled in FMU helped him chose the University of Virginia as a graduate school to pursue.

“I really enjoyed my semester in Washington, D.C.,” Moye said. “It made me decide that I wanted to attend a school that resembled my experience there.”

Moye said that his eventual career goal is to work with one of the “Big 4” accounting firms that currently dominate the industry.

To achieve this goal, Moye said that he plans to continue on his current, dedicated path.

“I aspire to work hard, continue to expand my horizons, and to seek the Lord,” Moye said.

He offered advice to current FMU students that mirrors his own methods for success.

“Love the Lord,” Moye said. “Love others. Focus on the concepts rather than memorizing for a test.”