Rachel Mertz '24

For Rachel Mertz, her time at Pitt-Bradford was more than just a step toward a degree — it was where she discovered her true passion for accounting. A 2024 graduate, Mertz now works as a staff accountant at Zippo Manufacturing Company, a role she secured thanks to the skills, support, and connections she forged at Pitt-Bradford.

Accounting might not sound thrilling to some, but for Mertz, her Pitt-Bradford experience revealed just how exciting the field could be. Her "aha!" moment came during an auditing class that unexpectedly captured her interest.

"My auditing class was very, very enjoyable," Mertz said. "It helped me see where my interests lay, and I ended up really liking auditing." She discovered that auditing, with its meticulous checks and balances, aligned perfectly with her love for solving problems.

Thanks to Professor Ernest Kallenbach’s engaging teaching style, Mertz found herself drawn deeper into the subject, realizing that auditing was where she wanted to focus her career.

It wasn’t just the classes that prepared Mertz for the professional world — it was the hands-on experience. For her capstone class, Mertz and a group of students from various majors spent an entire semester running a simulated company selling drones and cameras. The experience pulled the students out of bookwork and into reality, relying on each other’s skills and knowledge to succeed.

“We had to work with people that we didn't necessarily know,” Mertz said. “We all had different skill sets, and it was nice to see everyone's different strengths play together.”

This experience and many others during her time at Pitt-Bradford helped Mertz grow and gain the confidence she needed on her journey into the professional world. 

“It really helped me develop as a person and become more confident in my abilities,” Mertz said.

But the real magic of Pitt-Bradford was in the relationships she built with her professors. Professors John Crawford and Matt Moonan were more than just instructors — they’ve became mentors beyond campus.

"They’ve been very helpful," Mertz said, recalling how her professors went the extra mile after she graduated by informing her of the job opening at Zippo. With their support, Mertz landed the staff accountant position at Zippo, where she now handles everything from bank reconciliations to financial reports.