Sara, Houston

For Sara, a tax senior in Deloitte’s Houston office, professional development results not only from her day-to-day work, but also by volunteering in the community.  Soon after joining Deloitte, Sara began volunteering for Junior Achievement (JA), a nonprofit organization that prepares young people for the global economy through educational programs that focus on business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics, financial literacy and career development.  She signed up as a JA classroom volunteer because she liked working with young people, but soon found the experience would teach her a few things, as well.

“Standing up in front of a room full of 7th graders was definitely out of my comfort zone,” Sara explained. “It really helped me build my confidence in public speaking, presentation and persuasion skills.”  An important outcome of her volunteering is that Sara has greater self-assurance and it has helped her hone many competencies that will be essential as her career develops.  Her work with JA has also led to invaluable networking opportunities with some of Deloitte’s most senior leaders, at a relatively early point in her career. 
 
As a result of volunteering in the classroom, Sara was twice asked to organize Deloitte’s Job Shadow Day which, in coordination with JA, allowed up to 35 local students to shadow Deloitte personnel on the job.  The project, which included the development of a consulting case study, served as a practical learning experience in project management, and it gave her a greater appreciation for diversity as well as a real-world opportunity to work on business skills like mentoring, public speaking and time-management.  It also brought some well-deserved recognition from Deloitte’s leadership. 

While Sara appreciates the developmental aspects of volunteering, she finds the personal satisfaction most gratifying.  “You can see why skills-based volunteer work is so important to the children at the school,” Sara explained.  “These kids just aren't typically exposed to professional settings.  They need access like this in order to envision what it could be like for them.  Doing this gives me a lot of fulfillment.”