“My time at the Harbert College of Business has prepared me exceedingly well for my career path, both personally and professionally. My professors and advisors have been so helpful and invested in preparing me for interviews, internships, and general life beyond college."”

* Editor's note:  Makenzie Warnick, was selected as the Summer 2020 Harbert College Graduation Marshal. She earned the recognition that comes with this esteemed honor. With note that the August 8 commencement to recognize Auburn University spring and summer 2020 graduation was indefinitely postponed due to concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that Makenzie’s story is even more important to tell.  Her resilience and positive outlook on it all is what makes Auburn such a special place. We are so very proud of her accomplishments, and by telling her story we know you will be as well!

Makenzie Warnick has a message of perseverance and hope for Harbert College of Business summer and spring graduates.

“Even in a normal year, graduation days signify accomplishment and tenacity,” she said. “This year, it means something even more: it represents hope in the midst of difficult times. Every graduate should feel especially proud of their accomplishments and celebrate the victory of finishing school despite the obstacles 2020 has put in our path.”

Warnick, a Northport, Alabama native who completed her undergraduate degree in the School of Accountancy in May, was given the honor of Harbert College Graduation Marshal for Spring/Summer 2000, though the combined commencement was postponed indefinitely. “I could not be more proud to have been selected to represent the Harbert College of Business after it has given so much to me over these past four years,” she said. “I know so many brilliant and hard-working students from the college and it is an absolute honor.

“The Harbert College has created an environment that challenges and inspires students to think big about their career goals. The faculty here has encouraged me to apply for opportunities I would have never thought I could achieve and gave me the advice necessary to succeed in these opportunities. There is a great sense of community in the Harbert College, and at Auburn, that is so conducive to both professional networking and making lifelong friendships.”

After completing her undergraduate degree in May with a 4.0 GPA, Warnick continued her accounting education through the college’s Master of Accountancy program, which she expects to complete next spring.

“Completing my MAcc at Auburn is a perfect fit for me,” she explained. “I wasn’t ready to leave Auburn yet! This program is designed to give accounting students all of the necessary skills they need to be successful after graduation, including studying for and sitting for all parts of the CPA exam before we graduate.”

She will join the practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Nashville, Tennessee, where she has already interned, as an associate next summer.

“Completing my MAcc at Auburn is a perfect fit for me. I wasn’t ready to leave Auburn yet! This program is designed to give accounting students all of the necessary skills they need to be successful after graduation, including studying for and sitting for all parts of the CPA exam before we graduate.””

“My time at the Harbert College of Business has prepared me exceedingly well for my career path, both personally and professionally,” said Warnick, a 2019 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Scholarship recipient, who also served as a peer career advisor at the university and as a Martin Fellow Graduate Assistant within the Harbert College since May. “My professors and advisors have been so helpful and invested in preparing me for interviews, internships, and general life beyond college. They truly care about a student’s success, and work so diligently to prepare us for every available opportunity.”

The Harbert College of Business awarded a combined 1,243 undergraduate and graduate-level degrees after the Spring and Summer 2020 semesters.

For more on the Harbert College of Business' nationally-ranked School of Accountancy and its undergraduate and graduate programs, visit: https://harbert.auburn.edu/academics/undergraduate/accounting/index.php