Elaina Wilder

El Paso, Texas native Elaina Wilder came to Rice knowing she wanted to major in economics but was also interested in adding a second major or a minor once she found more areas of interest. She ended up majoring in economics and political science with a minor in business but was uncertain about what sort of career path she wanted to follow.

Elaina took her first accounting class during her junior year of college. “Accounting wasn’t something I had ever really thought about until I had to take it for my business minor.” She studied abroad in Copenhagen immediately after taking her first accounting class and didn’t think about it again until she was close to graduating and focused on deciding what sort of career she wanted. “I had done a wide range of internships, but they all just helped me figure out what I didn’t want to do. I had heard about the MAcc and decided to look into it.” Elaina thought the MAcc program would be a good option because it would allow her to gain concrete skills that she could use to launch a career in business.

The fall after she graduated with her bachelor’s, Elaina applied for the MAcc program and summer internships with the Big 4 accounting firms. She completed an audit internship with Deloitte’s Houston office and accepted a full-time position there after graduation based on the innovative and supportive culture. She now currently works at Deloitte's Houston office.