Bella Fauzi

Bella Fauzi is a 2019 Accounting and Information Systems graduate and an incoming KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics (MADA) graduate student with a marked concentration in audit at Virginia Tech. Her many leadership experiences and involvements with student organizations at Virginia Tech have shaped her into the leader she is today in the community, classroom, and professional environment. She was a member of the first cohort of the Pamplin Leadership Academy and a Pamplin Ambassador for three years. After completing an externship program with KPMG after her sophomore year and a corporate management internship with KPMG her junior year, she is continuing her internship with the company in a client-facing audit role this summer in Chicago, IL.

Bella immigrated to the United States from Indonesia when she was four years old. Her family had a friend that taught at Virginia Tech, so she took trips to Blacksburg regularly growing up. She became interested in accounting as a major when she studied it in high school. Upon arriving at Virginia Tech, Bella took advantage of as many leadership development opportunities as she could. An avid reader of Pamplin's businfo emails, Bella read a posting for a new program called Pamplin Leadership Academy. She applied and became part of the first cohort of the program her sophomore year led by Dr. Kimberly Carlson. Her cohort participated in leadership development workshops, mentorship, networking sessions, and trips to cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, and Washington D.C. to tour companies and network with professionals. Bella has also promoted the Pamplin College of Business to prospective Hokies at recruiting events as a Pamplin Ambassador for three years. She cherishes the experience of helping incoming students navigate the process of choosing an academic path that's right for them, remembering the time when she was in their shoes. A mentor Bella met through Pamplin Leadership Academy worked for KPMG, which is what led her to the company. After her sophomore year, Bella was selected out of a competitive pool of applicants for the KPMG Future Diversity Leaders Conference in Hollywood, CA and the EY Emerging Leaders Summit in Washington D.C. During her junior year, she did a corporate management internship with KPMG in their Charlotte office where she got to see the ins and outs of the practice. Enjoying the experience but wanting a bigger-office feel, she continued her internship with KPMG this summer in a client-facing audit role in their Chicago office. When asked about why the culture of KPMG is unique, she explains that the culture is similar across office locations: everyone is open and helpful because they want the best for you. Bella is currently a lead campus ambassador for KPMG at Virginia Tech, where she offers students insight and advice on the different externship and internship programs KPMG has to offer, the application processes, and on navigating the industry in general.

One aspect Bella appreciates about Pamplin Leadership Academy is the service component. During her sophomore year, her cohort did a project based on the New River Valley time bank, which strives to bring the community together through a credit system for helping others. She explains that her cohort brought a fresh perspective to the project as college students. Bella returned to Pamplin Leadership Academy her senior year as a mentor for the program. That year, the cohort worked with a woman opening a café in Blacksburg that employs people with disabilities to foster their integration and acceptance in the community. Bella and the team helped their client jumpstart her business plan by assisting with the outline of her vision and goals. Bella is no stranger to service or community building having started a service project called Bella's Backpacks. She got the idea when she worked as a teacher's assistant for YMCA YReaders camp one summer, a literacy program for economically disadvantaged elementary school students that read below their grade level. Having immigrated to the US when she was four, Bella knew what it was like to be behind her peers in literacy. She started Bella's Backpacks to provide underprivileged children with backpacks fully stocked with school supplies so they can focus on succeeding in school. She has raised the funds and collected the materials and is in the process of facilitating the program through the YMCA.

Bella served as treasurer of the Indonesian Student Organization at Virginia Tech and remains connected to her cultural background, believing it is important to remember where you come from because it shapes who you are. She stresses diversity as a leader, explaining that academic and professional environments lack not only physical diversity but the diversity of thought. She believes that diversity of thought is important for teams to thrive. When asked about setbacks she's experienced as a leader, she explains that you're often in a strange position when it comes to leadership; you have the title of a leader but are still learning as you go. "Being a leader shouldn't be about being in a position of power but being an ambassador or a mentor, you automatically have that title. The challenge is trying to see where you fit because it shouldn't just be about having a title. It is about learning how to be a leader when you supposedly are a leader, being receptive to people and change, and adapting your leadership style to best-fit others," she explains. Bella describes her leadership philosophy as being about trying to understand people, being compassionate and open-minded, and embracing change and diversity so she can encourage people to be the best they can be. "Everyone comes from a different background; everyone has a different story, but we all have the same goal when we're at work and that's to produce the best output and having that mindset to encourage people to be the best they can is how I approach it (leadership) when it comes to my daily life," she explains.

We wish Bella all the best as she returns to Virginia Tech as a KPMG Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics graduate student. We know that she will continue to be a leader in her company, school, and community!