Kelvin Gondo (MAcc Class of 2023) came to Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Saratov State Agrarian University (Russia) and one year of professional experience under his belt. During his undergrad college studies, Gondo specialized in accounting analysis and financial auditing.
A “citizen of the world”—as he calls himself—Gondo is originally from Zimbabwe; his family moved to Swaziland (now known as the Kingdom of Eswatini) in Southern Africa while he was studying abroad. “After high school, I just wanted to be somewhere different,” he shared. He applied to colleges in China, Cyprus, and Russia—and with the help of an educational consultant, identified the agrarian university as one that best fit his interest in economics.
Gondo was undaunted by the prospect of learning Russian in order to get the “full experience” of living and working in Russia. He engaged in Russian language studies for six months before officially starting his college studies. In addition to Russian and English, Gondo speaks siSwati, which is spoken in Eswatini, as well as Shona, which he considers his mother tongue.
After graduating in 2020, he rejoined his family in Eswatini and taught as an intern-lecturer at Mananga Business School. He gained more accounting experience in short-term stints before joining Moetse Courier and Freight as a full-time accountant, where he stayed for a little over a year before he joined Miami University’s MAcc program. “I’ve always wanted to be in public accounting in the U.S.,” he shared.
“At Miami, I got to meet colleagues and classmates who were already acting as young professionals and knew what they wanted in life. They’re already into it, have done internships, and know how it works,” shared Gondo. As an international student, Gondo found their example and welcoming spirit very valuable: “They really don’t mind helping you, I felt integrated and part of a family, making my entry to Miami very easy and soft.”
Gondo also praised the program’s overall offerings. “I had great teachers who invested in you and helped you develop a professional mindset by working in teams, doing peer evaluations, and meeting the alums and leaders in the accounting field,” he said. He was particularly impressed by AICPA Chair Anoop Mehta’s visit—”He gave you a really good feeling about accountancy, and how to make it in the field.”
With his love for auditing, Gondo especially enjoyed Jon Pyzoha’s classes. Another class that was eye-opening for him was taught by Qing Burke: ACC 568, Accounting for Governmental and Not-for-Profit Organizations. “To me, it was a really new and different way of doing accounting.” Upon graduation, Gondo is looking forward to joining Deloitte in Cincinnati as an audit associate— “Miami really welcomed me in and made me feel at home, so as an alum, it brings me joy to be able to remain close to my alma mater.”