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Ian McKee was fed up.

It was the end of a cold, rainy, eight-hour shift standing outside as a hospital valet. All of his clothes were soaked to the bone, and his body shook with cold. He decided at this moment that it was time to make a better life for himself.

That was over four years ago – and he hasn’t looked back.

McKee, a �鶹Ӱ�� native, turned to �鶹Ӱ�� to help him make the change. He now works as an associate in the Insurance Services Group of the Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP’s Charlotte Uptown Office.

“I wanted a better life for my family,” he said. “I wanted to provide my wife and daughter with the safe, stable, warm environment they deserve. We all deserve to live a good life.”

On that cold December afternoon in 2014, McKee went directly to �鶹Ӱ�� instead of driving home. Despite the school preparing for winter break, he met with a counselor and was able to enroll in business and accounting classes for the spring 2015 semester.

He quit his valet job and started waiting tables in the evenings at local �鶹Ӱ�� eateries, including the Bleu Olive, a family-owned Mediterranean restaurant in �鶹Ӱ��.

McKee aspired to enroll in the Master of Accounting program at North Carolina State University and pursue his CPA certificate. At �鶹Ӱ��, he was able to complete the prerequisite accounting courses needed to apply for the program.

McKee, who had already earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UNC Asheville in 2008, finished at �鶹Ӱ�� in the summer of 2016.

“My studies at �鶹Ӱ�� provided me with a far more intimate understanding of fundamental accounting principles than my peers with a four-year accounting education,” he said. “While at NC State, I felt prepared to handle technical accounting issues.”

McKee earned his Master’s in Accounting Degree with a 3.86 GPA. He said he was in the top five of his class and received numerous employment opportunities before deciding on Dixon Hughes Goodman. He has been employed by Dixon Hughes Goodman since September 2017.

McKee wasn’t the first in his family to attend �鶹Ӱ��. His mother studied at the College to become an occupational therapist assistant, and his father took general education classes.

“I would like to thank the entire �鶹Ӱ�� community,” McKee said. “The faculty and staff of �鶹Ӱ�� are second to none. In just over two years, I went from parking cars to getting paid to fly across the country to perform accounting services. It all started that day on East Lawson Street in the Student Services Office.”

The �鶹Ӱ�� alumnus recommends to other students to have a good work ethic and an optimistic mindset in order to succeed at �鶹Ӱ��.

“If you come with a positive attitude, a willingness to work, and goals in mind, you can go extremely far and achieve things you never thought possible,” McKee said. “Come into the experience with an open mind. The rest will take care of itself. You, the student, are the key ingredient. Work hard, and you’ll have a lot to show for it.”