There was a time, Gabrielle Dimengo will tell you, when she resisted following in her father’s footsteps while she considered possible career choices.
“I’ve always been good in math and my dad is an accountant. I didn’t want to just follow in his footsteps, but it became clear to me that this is what I should be doing,” says Dimengo with a smile.
Now the honors student is about to cross the commencement stage at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall to receive bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance, summa cum laude. She has been chosen to speak on behalf of the Spring Class of 2014 as the student responder at the ceremony on Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m.
Dimengo, who will be joining the risk advisory division of EY (Ernst & Young) in September, is not yet done hitting the books. She will spend this summer preparing for the Certified Public Accountant Exams.
New job awaits
“I’m really excited about the opportunity with EY,” says Dimengo, who will be based in Northeast Ohio. She credits the combination of her coursework and the internships she had with J. Rayl Transport and The J.M. Smucker Company for preparing her for this first step in her career.
“With the double major, I now have a wider depth of knowledge of how business works,” notes Dimengo. “Accounting is reporting how your business did, finance is predicting how your business will do. It’s important to have knowledge of both.
“At JR, I learned a lot about billing,” adds Dimengo. “At Smucker, I gained a good understanding of systems, which is hard to get in class because each company is different. Much of what I learned at Smucker I was able to apply in my classes, and it will be helpful to me in the future.”
Dimengo actually started her academic career at UA during her senior year at Green High School. She took postsecondary classes on campus in the morning, and advanced placement classes in the afternoon at Green.
Making the most of time at UA
A recipient of several scholarships, Dimengo says she has enjoyed being in the Honors College. “It offers you a smaller community on a large campus, and my classmates from those early classes have become friends.” She has paid forward her own experience by serving as a peer mentor to incoming honors students.
During her years at UA, Dimengo worked at the Student Organization Resource Center in Student Life. She also was involved in a wide range of organizations and volunteer activities, including Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Beta Alpha Psi, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Gamma Sigma Alpha, Rho Lambda, Relay for Life and Make a Difference Day. Most recently, she was president of Panhellenic Council and director of finance for the AK Rowdies.
Her honors include being chosen for Beta Gamma Sigma, the National Honor Society for Academic Achievement, the Thomas J. Vukovich Outstanding Leadership Award, Greek Woman of the Year and being a member of the 2013 Homecoming Court.
“I really enjoyed my time here at Akron,” says Dimengo with a wide smile. “It helped to get involved – I met so many people. You have to take advantage of the opportunities you are given. The opportunities presented to me allowed me to get a lot more out of college.”
One of her mentors, Dr. Melinda Newman, would say she succeeded on all fronts.
In nominating Dimengo as a student responder, the associate professor of finance notes, “Gabby fully immersed herself in university life, both academically and otherwise, during her time at The University of Akron. She has embodied 'The Akron Experience' from the time she stepped on campus and will be a stellar representative of UA to the world as she prepares to step away.”
Gabrielle Dimengo