UNIBusiness first piqued Sarah Roemer’s (MAcc, ’20) interest in high school. She was looking for a reputable business college with a hometown feel. But being a Des Moines native, she decided to stay closer to home at a small liberal arts school. Four years later, as Roemer began looking at graduate schools, UNIBusiness once again displayed prominently on her radar. 

She was looking for graduate program in accounting that was more comprehensive — an option to learn a little bit of everything, rather than hyper focused. In December 2018, Roemer visited the campus and loved what she found. It had a homely feel, and the graduate program seemed extremely tightknit. UNIBusiness also made it easy for Roemer to transfer her courses from her two bachelor’s degrees, whereas many other programs required additional courses. 

It was the perfect fit. Roemer decided to transfer and started in the fall of 2019. 

“UNI had a wide range of courses and electives,” Roemer said. “You could choose from all these options and get a range of experience. It also felt like home here. There were small class sizes, and you really get to know the peers in your courses.” 

The transition was largely smooth. At first, there was a bit of an adjustment to the larger campus, student base and teaching styles, but the professors were willing to sit down here one-on-one and help her acclimate to the UNIBusiness culture. 

“That was really helpful for me to progress in my studies,” Roemer said. “Once I was able to fully transition, I became a lot more comfortable.” 

Roemer worked as an assistant for Linda DeBarth, accounting instructor at UNIBusiness. They both come from similar backgrounds — DeBarth taught at a liberal arts college before joining UNIBusiness — so it was easy for them to relate. DeBarth watched Roemer dive in and get involved with accounting organizations and various job fairs. 

“She did a great job getting involved and jumping right in,” DeBarth said. “She is just full of positives of her time here. We actually have a lot of transfer students, so you don’t have to look very far to find students with similar experiences. Class sizes are small so if students run into obstacles, they can turn to other students to get help.” 

Roemer has a job lined up to work with the state of Iowa, which she plans to start in June. She obtained the position through one of UNIBusiness’  job fairs. A first interview turned into a second, then an official job offer. For Roemer, grabbing opportunities like these has been paramount to her transition and success at UNIBusiness. She recommends others try to do the same.  

“My advice would be just to take every opportunity possible here,” Roemer said. “UNI provides a lot more opportunities than other schools, especially where I come from. For me, I wouldn’t have gotten this job opportunity if I didn’t choose UNI.”