Marcus Ellis, Accounting

Marcus Ellis defines resiliency and does not let his obstacles hinder him. When he enrolled in community college after high school, his family could not afford to pay for his classes. He worked as a part-time cashier at Wal-Mart, and was offered a full-time management position. He declined the offer.  His mother, an elementary school teacher, instilled the importance of education in him, so he transferred to USF and majored in accounting to prepare himself for a corporate job in an industry he enjoyed.

At USF, Ellis joined the National Association of Black Accountants, the International Students Association, the Student Advisory Board for the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy, and the accounting honor society Beta Alpha Psi.

Ellis says Beta Alpha Psi enhanced his leadership skills. The chapter chose him as a team leader for Relay for Life that helped raise nearly $1,000 for breast cancer. Last year he served as chapter reporter and was in charge of five committee chairs and their respective committees.

Outside of USF, Ellis volunteers as a superintendent for his church. He orchestrates two or three annual events for 500-700 guests. Recently, he hosted an event in Daytona Beach, FL at the Hilton Oceanfront Beach Resort that offered free workshops about mission trips, and college admissions and finances.

His accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. Ellis received four internship offers at a career fair, and three of them came from the “Big Four” accounting firms. He accepted a position as an audit intern for Deloitte and Touche. He plans to graduate this summer and begin studying for his CPA exam.