Written by: Daniel Borkowski
Brandon Paznokas is the perfect example of an Albertus student taking their experience beyond the classroom. This spring semester, Brandon was the winner of the Southern New England Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (SNE-IIA) Scholarship Program. I had the pleasure to sit down with the prestigious award winner to learn more about his past, as well as his future goals and aspirations. I was incredibly impressed by Brandon’s maturity and confidence throughout our conversation.
At Albertus, we are known for being a tight knit community. We have a student to faculty ratio of 9:1 and our classroom sizes are less than 20. This played a large role in Brandon’s decision to choose Albertus. He grew up in a small town called Plainville, located in central Connecticut which is 45 minutes to an hour from the Albertus campus.
Brandon’s interest for accounting started in his senior year of high school, which led him to majoring in accounting at Albertus. Brandon’s original thought was that he will primarily focus on school and getting good grades, but that is not where he stopped. Brandon used that small class size to his advantage to stand out. He then went on to meet Professor Alan DelFavero in his first accounting class as a college student. Brandon claims that “DelFavero really lit the flame for me” when speaking of his passion for accounting.
From there, Brandon began to grow his college experience by getting more involved on campus.
“I really established myself in the community by becoming President of the Accounting & Finance Club and tutoring accounting on the side. Albertus really gives you the opportunity to develop and turn into a great person”.
From there, Brandon created relationships and learned more about his peers.
As a tutor – Brandon speaks on mastering his auditing skills; “Not only do I have the ability to learn the information in the classroom but I have the ability to retain it when I teach it to others.”
Through the use of his strong academic skills and his involvement on campus, Brandon was able to land an internship at TM Byxbee Company – a full service tax, accounting, and business consulting firm located in Hamden, CT. Starting this past January, Brandon is getting ahead of his career goals as a junior and is diving into numerous types of accounting opportunities in the real world. “I am grateful to have the experience and still have the experience working here to basically be an all around guy, and doing all sorts of different topics that I would have never imagined,” says Brandon.
Brandon’s time at TM Byxbee Company has solidified his career choice for him even more.
At Albertus, Brandon has efficiently developed his professional and networking skills, thus making himself a great candidate for the SNE-IIA Scholarship Program. By engaging in his classes and forming relationships with his peers, he found out about the scholarship opportunity from Professor Alan DelFavero. When referring to his network, Brandon states “If it was just me, I would have probably missed it [SNE-IIA Scholarship Program] but because of Albertus and the networking, I was able to receive word about it.”
Professor DelFavero saw the potential in Brandon and mentioned that he should take advantage of this opportunity and apply. DelFavero has high praise for Brandon’s strong work ethic and willingness to participate in class, stating “Brandon has a passion to learn. He is an asset to the accounting profession.”
The annual scholarship is only awarded to one student per year. The SNE-IIA describes the award for undergraduate students “who are interested in the internal audit profession and have demonstrated academic achievement, personal excellence, and civic mindedness”.
When news broke that Brandon won the scholarship, he viewed it as an excellent chance to reduce the financial strain of higher education.
Brandon is extremely thankful for Professor DelFavero’s guidance through the application process and sees him as a mentor both in and outside the classroom.
“I’m really the first in my family to go into this topic [accounting] so there are not many people to talk to or receive assistance from when it comes to accounting. I’m glad that Alan has paved the way for me – I really appreciate that”.
Professor DelFavero was thrilled when he got word that Brandon was selected for the scholarship program. “It is an excellent, rewarding experience when you see one of your students receive a scholarship – especially when the scholarship is field specific.”
Now, Brandon wishes to transition into a heavy focus on the auditing industry. “I am really interested in organizational concepts, nitpicking and learning more about companies’ financials and asking many questions along the way.”
Brandon’s willingness to ask questions is what led him to this point. His advice for future students: “Develop communication and networking skills with professors and peers around you. Learn about others and help others – hard work will come back and you will be rewarded for it. Networking will be future assets to you.”
As Brandon prepares for his senior year, he reflects on his time at Albertus.
“Albertus really made me bloom into the person I am today, many people here want to help you get you to your goals and aspirations and to where you want to be. Albertus was great for having many helpful resources and people that support you alongside you for the ride.”
Brandon has plans to work in public accounting in order to work with many clients and have something new to work on everyday. There is also exposure to the in working of different companies.
Brandon will take his career and goals to the next level when he becomes an Albertus Graduate in May of 2025.