Student, lifeguard, accounting intern and reporting secretary of Fordham University’s Beta Alpha Psi are just a few terms to describe Kelly Katsoris, GSB ’26. From her start at Fordham, Katsoris has seemingly worked nonstop to achieve her goals. With this drive and determination, she now looks forward to an impressive future with one of the largest global accounting firms. And though this path may seem like a straight shot, Katsoris’ journey is full of twists and turns.
Katsoris always knew she wanted to be a part of the business world. However, business has unlimited possibilities, so it took some time before she knew exactly where to go. For most Gabelli School of Business students, accounting is not introduced until their sophomore year. Being a part of an accelerated program, Katsoris was exposed to accounting as a first-year.
“Accounting is the backbone of all business,” Katsoris said about how she developed a passion for this area of business. “All jobs need them. I thought it was very diversified.”
After figuring out her niche, Katsoris’ next step was the dreaded and intense internship recruiting time that most Gabelli students undergo.
“You are basically deciding and recruiting for a career at 19 years old, which is extremely difficult,” Katsoris said. She also noted how New York’s intense business atmosphere turns up the pressure on Fordham students. With most of these prestigious firms only a train ride away in Manhattan and their acceptance rates being as low as 4%, there is certainly a fight among students to get their spot: “Seeing those numbers and wanting it so badly… The question in everyone’s head is how am I going to differentiate myself from the others?”
It turns out that the differentiation that underclassmen are looking for is all in the little details. “At the end of the day, you kind of have to laugh about it,” Katsoris said, recounting her time as a Finance Scholar, the program that teaches these students the key to standing out. During her time as a Finance Scholar, Katsoris learned the ins and outs of how to act in professional settings, no matter how ridiculous it seemed. “I got yelled at for slouching,” Katsoris said about her very first Finance Scholars trip. “I was told, ‘Nothing says I don’t care like not sitting up straight’… I was horrified.”
Posture was not the only thing that mattered, in fact, the golden rule for professionalism is mastering your handshake. Though it may seem simple, conducting a proper handshake is both a skill and an art form, and one that Finance Scholars take very seriously.
“We had a whole session, for an hour, on how to shake someone’s hand,” Katsoris explained the elements she learned that go into a handshake. “Grip, tightness, wiping off sweat, posture, not going for it too quickly, making sure you cut your fingernails,” Katsoris listed. The administration had gone around shaking every student’s hand, individually critiquing each one: “Mine was approved, but someone else was told they were weak and awkward.”
Despite the tedious etiquette training, Katsoris remembers the experience as a bonding time for her and her peers. “We were 18-year-old kids getting suits and going to the Ram Van at 10 p.m. at night to see Goldman Sachs,” she explained, acknowledging that their situation was very unique and a privilege to be a part of.
Now, on the other side of this journey, Katsoris warns students undergoing the same process to maintain a good head space when dealing with the stress of being a business student. “It sounds cliche, but truly try to separate yourself from everybody. It’s very easy to think [you’re] not doing enough,” Katsoris said. “For the longest time, I felt that way… It’s very helpful to take a step back.”
Moving forward, Katsoris is excited about her position as the reporting secretary for Fordham’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter, the nationally recognized honor society for business students. Beta Alpha Psi often has Fordham alumni from prestigious firms give talks to the undergraduates.
“It is very cool to see how I’m in my place now, and this is what I want to achieve in the future. They have sat in the same shoes as me, and now they are so successful,” Katsoris said, mentioning that this aspect is her favorite part of the society. During her time as reporting secretary, Katsoris hopes to give the same feeling to the incoming classes of the society.
“I want to do what they did for me back to the younger audience,” Katsoris said.
After this academic year, Katsoris is going to be a tax intern for PwC (one of the Big Four accounting firms) in Manhattan for the summer of 2025. Both looking back at her path as a business student and looking forward to her future as an accountant, Katsoris is proud of her hard work and success and hopes to inspire students on the same path.
