A Powell River accountant and mother of three has been named one of the top 10 BC graduates of the certified general accountants (CGA) program.
Ranked in the top 10 out of 825 graduates in the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC program, Patricia Winchell is now a chartered professional accountant (CPA) in addition to being a certified general accountant (CGA).
“It was quite surprising to get that letter in the mail,” said Winchell, “and to find out that I was one of the top 10 in BC is quite an honour.”
A mother to children aged three, six and eight, Winchell said she completed the CGA program over the span of eight years while working part-time as an accountant at Catalyst Paper Corporation.
“It’s been a long process,” said Winchell, “a lot of late nights and early mornings.”
In addition to completing courses and sitting a final exam to earn their CPA, CGA-designation students must have a university degree and complete 24 months of professional work experience, a process that can take anywhere between six and 10 years.
Initially starting her career at Catalyst in 2007 as work-experience engineering student at Univeristy of BC, Winchell said she switched to accounting after having her first child.
“I enjoy the flexibility of accounting,” said Winchell. “There are always little puzzles to solve.”
Winchell said she is thankful the paper corporation, as well as her husband, has been understanding and flexible over the last few years.
Winchell attended a convocation ceremony Saturday, November 21, at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
“I never attended my first graduation from UBC,” said Winchell. “I was excited to go to this one.”
The next goal for Winchell is to compete in the upcoming BC Bike Race with her husband.
“It feels great to have free time again,” said Winchell. “We’ve already done a few training rides, including one in Sechelt on the way back from Vancouver.”
