A passion for accounting, a heart for agriculture

Growing up in Hartsville, South Carolina, Sidney Easters had been a Clemson fan her whole life. When she toured Clemson as a prospective student, she knew that this was the place she wanted to call home during her undergraduate years.

Initially, Easters enrolled as a nursing major. She always loved helping others and giving back to her community, something that stemmed from her family's love of agriculture and farming. During her first semester, however, she began questioning if nursing was for her, so after learning a little more about what interested Easters, her advisor recommended that she try an accounting course.

"It's funny looking back. Accounting seems like the obvious choice now," Easters reflects. "Later, after I switched my major to accounting, I realized that there were moments in my life that showed me accounting was something I'd be interested in. From helping my dad with his business books to being the business manager for my high school yearbook, it all aligned with a degree in accounting."

Changing her major to accounting also opened up a space for Easters to minor in agribusiness management. Inspired by her family's agriculture business, Easters experienced firsthand what it means to be a small business owner.

"Being around small farmers my whole life has shown me how special that community is. Majoring in accounting and minoring in agribusiness will set me up to hopefully be a resource for small farmers in the future."

As a Clemson business student, Easters enrolled in several impactful classes at the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. Business 1010 introduced Easters to several business industries, including accounting. It was through this class that Easters connected with Farm Credit and was able to intern with them in the Summer of 2023. That internship affirmed for Easters that agriculture was something she wanted to seriously pursue.

In addition to her internship at Farm Credit, another opportunity arose through her agribusiness advisor, who introduced her to the managing partner for Forvis Mazars in Charleston, a top 10 public accounting firm. After some encouragement from her advisor, Easters reached out to Sarah Windham, interviewed and got an internship with Forvis Mazars this past summer.

"My time at Forvis Mazars was amazing. As a tax intern, it was impactful to see how passionate people are about their sectors, similar to how I am passionate about agriculture. My supervisor was so supportive. She does ag tax, and while I was there, helped me figure out what my career path might be."

Graduating in May, Easters is excited to enroll in the Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc) Program at Clemson and continue her journey at Forvis-Mazars.

"Right now, there's a really big need, specifically for accountants specializing in agriculture. A lot of people who have been filling that role are retiring, and there aren't many young people who want to go into that specific field," Easters explains. "So, I definitely feel like that's something that I want to do going forward to support my family, small farmers and the agricultural community."

To learn more about the School of Accountancy, visit their website.