Editor's Note: This is the tenth in a series of profiles of winter 2023 graduates.
Venous Arjangi grew up in Iran and spent much of her adult life living there away from her son. After many attempts to move to the United States, she was approved for permanent residency and a green card in 2017. But the move to a new country brought more than a reunion with her son. It brought the promise of a new career.
Six years after arriving in the United States, Arjangi graduated from University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
“When I reflect on the past six years, I'm glad I made such a big choice,” Arjangi said. “Life has demonstrated that there is always time to start over, choose the proper course of action, and go on.”
At age 46, the hardest part of Arjangi’s move was adjusting to a new language. She had taken a few English classes in school but never practiced speaking it.
Immediately after moving, Arjangi started working at a daycare, then in a print shop and then as a salesperson at Bloomingdales. Today she is an office manager. Simultaneously, she was studying. She decided to advance her education—30 years after she received her high school diploma—by enrolling at Montgomery Community College. She eventually made her way to UMGC.
“Since I needed to work and time was very important to me, I decided to go to UMGC because it was online and I did not have to commute,” Arjangi said.
At first, she was unsure what field she wanted to pursue. She considered a major in cybersecurity or data science before opting for accounting. She also has seasonally practiced as an accountant.
Arjangi has high praise for her UMGC professors, particularly two accounting instructors. She first connected with James Hodge at Montgomery Community College; he later taught a federal income tax course she took at UMGC, where he is an adjunct associate professor. Adjunct Assistant Professor Ira Holmes was Arjangi’s instructor in two other courses in intermediate accounting.
Like every student at UMGC, Arjangi was also assigned to a success coach whose job is to help students map out an academic journey and guide them along the way. Arjangi said Gail Childers-Oates “encouraged me to take more classes beyond my requirements.”
Arjangi, who received her degree on Dec. 17 at UMGC’s winter Grad Walk, is excited about what is ahead. She intends to launch a career in the accounting field. She also plans to continue studying, this time pursuing a master’s degree in tax law or UMGC’s new degree in CyberAccounting. (In 2021, UMGC launched a master’s degree in cyberaccounting to equip CPAs with the training they need to address the digital disruption facing organizations.)
As someone who began her educational journey later in life, Arjangi shares advice for future graduates.
“Life does not always follow a straight line, and the road to success is frequently filled with obstacles and unforeseen angles. Accept these difficulties as opportunities to learn and improve,” Arjangi explained. “Your journey may not look like anyone else's, but that is what distinguishes it as distinctly yours.
“Also, never underestimate the value of lifelong learning,” she added. “Education does not end with a diploma. Continue to learn, investigate new opportunities and be curious. Your education provides a basis for a successful life and profession.”
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