Alumni Board Bios - Valerie Allen
Major: Business – Accounting concentration
Graduation year: 2011
Where are you from? Hotchkiss, CO
Where do you work? State Farm Insurance
Clubs/Organizations you were a part of at GGC: President of the Accountancy Student Organization
How has GGC helped prepare you for where you are today?
It’s impossible to retain everything you learn in the classroom. With each and every class I had at GGC, I learned something new and something I could apply to in everyday life. It wasn’t always academic - sometimes it was personal - but I took something away from every class. I feel that, because of my time at GGC, I’m a better critical thinker, better at looking at a situation and making the best of it and I have much more confidence when it comes to sharing my opinion.
Favorite memory about GGC: I have a lot of great memories of GGC. One of my favorites, though, was the first trip the college took to Lake Lanier for the canoe and dragon boat rides. The weather was great, I learned how to steer a canoe and it was a lot of fun enjoying the break from studying with several of my classmates.
Favorite professor at GGC: I truly feel that each and every one of the professors I encountered wanted to see all of their students succeed. The ones that stand out the most though, were my accounting professors, Dr. Weisel and Dr. Pinson, my academic advisor and management/ethics professor, Dr. Saunders and lastly, Dr. Doug in organizational behavior. Community Involvement: I am a Girl Scout Co-Leader, a student initiative taskforce committee member with the GA Society of CPAs, I participate in the annual Rivers Alive stream clean-up, as well as many other community service projects with the Girl Scouts.
Advice for new students: Don’t take education for granted. Success is up to you and can be accomplished by anyone that sets their mind to succeed. So work hard at everything you do.
What’s next? Within the next ten years I plan to get my MBA and move into more of a leadership role within my profession. I hope to get both of my daughters through school and onto future career paths of their own. Once my girls have made it through High School, I plan to teach business classes at the collegiate level.