Amelia Nicholas鈥 mom told her to never put all her eggs in one basket.
That鈥檚 why the Trinidad and Tobago resident cast a wide net as she began her college search, applying to schools in Tampa, England, Canada, Pittsburgh and everywhere in between.
Back on the Bluff
Amelia鈥檚 mom completed an online master鈥檚 program at Duquesne in 2017, and she has
fond memories of visiting campus for her mother鈥檚 commencement ceremony. During that
visit, the future Accounting and Business Analytics double-major saw snow for the first time and cemented her interest in life on the
Bluff.
鈥淚 used to swim, dance and play football (soccer),鈥 she said. 鈥淚 thought, why not?鈥
Through 4 a.m. wake-up calls, 5 a.m. practices on the river, and days loaded with
class and homework, Amelia maintains a healthy balance by prioritizing her responsibilities
and focusing on the task at hand.
鈥淚鈥檓 always balancing school and practice and an internship downtown,鈥 she said.
Making her mark
Amelia serves in a finance role for the Caribbean Students Association and as public
relations officer of the International Student Organization. For two consecutive years
she had a leadership position with the Center for Excellence in Diversity and Student
Inclusion as a Pre-Orientation leader. She also is part of the ALIVE praise and worship
group where she sings and plays guitar.
鈥淥nce a month we put on a praise and worship night in the Chapel and it makes me forget
all my worries, all my struggles,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 just there in the moment.鈥
Additionally, Amelia鈥檚 work as an audit intern at Ernst and Young Trinidad and Tobago
and as an accounting assistant with Carnegie Learning in Downtown Pittsburgh has enabled
her to garner real-world experience and explore her interests.
She learned about her current internship with Carnegie Learning through Professor
Valerie Williams, who was happy to support her.
Finding joy in accounting
Amelia enjoys crunching numbers and following formulas and processes. She credits
Duquesne鈥檚 Palumbo-Donahue School of Business faculty for trusting in her potential and making accounting fun, especially Dr. Bryan Menk.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a regular lecture,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e always says that reading is fundamental,
and that鈥檚 what made me love accounting. You need a mindset to want to read over formats
and formulas and learn step-by-step to gain understanding.鈥
Amelia also enjoys finding patterns and 鈥渨atching everything fall into place鈥 with
accounting equations.
With many competition opportunities available in the Business School, Amelia has excelled,
recently placing second in an internal audit case competition. She collaborated with
four peers to develop a case and understand organizational risks, internal controls
and possible fraud. The competition concluded as students presented to a roomful of
business professionals downtown鈥攁n experience Amelia cites as 鈥渋nvaluable.鈥
Ready for what鈥檚 next
On track to graduate in May 2026, Amelia feels like she鈥檚 prepared for anything because
of the horizon-expanding education she鈥檚 received at Duquesne.
鈥淚 could go the accounting or business analytics route for a job or grad school,
or I could do a general MBA program,鈥 she said.
As for next steps, Amelia looks forward to serving as an internal audit intern over
the summer. She knows this experience will further inform her future plans and build
professional confidence.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see if I like public or private companies, or working at a bank,鈥 she said.
鈥淚 feel like I have lots of options.鈥
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