Cover Story
The Sky ' s the Limit
Meet the BC writers who made the national honour roll in 2016
CPABC is delighted to congratulate the 13 BC writers whose results on the May or September 2016 offering of the Common Final Examination ( CFE ) netted them a place on the national honour roll . For their success on the May writing , we congratulate Alexander Nowak , CPA , and Tony Yacowar . For their success on the September writing , we congratulate Curtis Braun , Cindy Clark-Jones , Alex Crompton , Ravneet Dhaliwal , Jennifer Jihong Liang , Alison Lindsay , Lauren Elizabeth Melton , Julia Phillips , Matt Stam , Drew Temple , and Katie Wolfe . These individuals are part of the second and third groups , respectively , to ever write the CFE . We caught up with them to find out what makes them tick .
Curtis Braun
Birthplace & current city of residence : Vancouver , BC ; Abbotsford , BC
Employer : PwC LLP
Job title : Senior Associate
Experience route : Pre-Approved Program
What will you remember most about your CFE experience ? As cliché as it may sound , there was no better feeling than walking out of day three of the CFE and being able to celebrate with family and friends .
Any hobbies that helped you manage stress during your studies ? Playing tennis and golf in the evenings and on weekends provided me with a great means to relax and take my mind off the upcoming exam .
Who would you like to thank for providing support during your studies ? I would like to thank my amazing family for supporting me throughout the entire two-year program . Also , I would like to thank my fiancée , Ashley , who always listened to me talk about cases and for being an ASPE / IFRS flashcard specialist . Thanks to the team at PwC for providing study resources and a great mentorship program . Finally , I would like to thank my CFE mentor , Laura Wang , for providing sound advice , and my study buddy , Drew Temple , for keeping me focused during the countless hours of studying .
Any advice for future CFE writers ? Track your progress after each case and identify your strengths and weaknesses . This allows you to brainstorm with your mentor and study buddy about how to improve your case writing in your weaker areas .
Cindy Clark-Jones
Birthplace & current city of residence : Vancouver , BC ; Langley , BC
Employer : KPMG LLP
Job title : Senior Accountant
Experience route : Pre-Approved Program
What will you remember most about your CFE experience ? Going for ice cream and a walk each day after the CFE with my study buddy to unwind and distract ourselves .
Any hobbies that helped you manage stress during your studies ? Crossing items off a list of adventures I made with a friend , spending most of my weekends off in Whistler , and planning my post-CFE trip .
Who would you like to thank for providing support during your studies ? My biggest thank you goes to my husband , Frank , for taking care of me and providing me with endless support through this whole process . He was always there to motivate me to work hard and keep going . Thank you also to all my family and friends , but particularly my mom and dad for believing in me and supporting me along the way . I am so thankful to the amazing support from everyone at KPMG who trusted in me , invested time in me , and encouraged me . The firm provided me with all the tools , resources , and support I needed to succeed . Finally , thank you to my study buddy , Katharine Currie , who has been by my side through this entire program . I could not have survived this without her friendship and our discussions on countless technical issues and case-writing approaches . She helped make this summer as fun as it was beyond the studying .
28 CPABC in Focus • Jan / Feb 2017