Monica, Los Angeles 
Monica, a senior associate who does forensic accounting and litigation support in the Financial Advisory Services practice at Deloitte, didn’t want just any job when she graduated from the University of Southern California in 2005. She wanted to work for a company that not only allowed her to utilize her finance degree, but also shared and supported her passion for volunteerism. She was thrilled when the topic of community involvement came up frequently in her Deloitte job interviews, saying "The opportunity to contribute to the community is something Gen Y really wants so, for me, it was a big bonus. There were not a lot of comparable organizations."

Monica began participating in Deloitte volunteer events right away and quickly took on the task of helping to create and co-lead the Los Angeles office Community Volunteer Council (CVC), which has grown from an idea to a highly active working committee with 85 members.  And she has come to appreciate that the benefits of community involvement go far beyond her original expectations.

“On top of helping others, it’s one of the best ways to develop the skills I need to be successful,” she explained, noting that her work on the CVC has given her good practice with project and budget management, instilling vision, learning to secure “buy-in,” and realizing results. She also credits the experience with helping her to hone basic consulting, communication and networking skills. 

“It’s been great for learning to work with people who have different styles, finding common ground and reaching consensus.”

Recently, one of Monica’s mentors mentioned that the first time she ever gave expert testimony was on a pro bono engagement and suggested that Monica also consider volunteering in a professional capacity to gain early exposure to higher level work. She intends to do so, saying, “Skills-based volunteerism is already playing a tremendous role in my career development. My community involvement comes up at every year-end conversation. Because of my work on the Council, I’ve also been able to raise the profile of my department internally, and that has made me stand out with my leadership.”

It’s no surprise that when asked how she felt about Deloitte, Monica responded, "There's a lot of loyalty...the people are amazing.  Deloitte really cares. There's a lot of passion."