Lorena Lomeli
Texas Christian University Class of 2016
Major: Entrepreneurial Management;
Minor: Spanish for Business
Job: Manager – First Line Control Testing (FLCT), Charles Schwab
What opportunities did a college/university degree afford you?
Without a college degree, I would not have had the opportunity to grow and develop into the individual that I am today, both personally and professionally. Through my college education, I was able to pursue a degree in business and eventually join the auditing world. I have worked for companies that I never dreamed of. I have met some amazing people along the way, both during my tenure at TCU and my professional career, who have become lifelong mentors. I have visit places around the world that I never imagined possible. As a result of my career, I have also been afforded the opportunity to give back to my family, which is a goal I always hoped to accomplish. My parents worked extremely hard to give my sister and I everything we needed growing up. I owe everything that I have and everything that I am to them. Now, it’s my turn to return the support and give them everything they deserve.
What is your career path today?
I started my career as an internal auditor and am now part of the technology controls testing group at Charles Schwab. My job entails reviewing and testing technology controls to ensure they are working effectively and mitigating risk(s) appropriately. This has allowed me to further enhance my analytical and critical thinking skills, as well as continually think outside the box.
What advice would you give to other MACE scholars interested in your field?
Don’t be afraid to ask those tough “why” questions and continue to enhance your eagerness to learn. Things are always changing within the audit world as well as within businesses. Reach out to anyone who works in the field of your interest and ask if you can shadow them. The nice part about internal audit is, you can transfer the skills you learn as an auditor to any industry and as well as to many other jobs.
What would you say to MACE donors who helped raise funds for your scholarship?
Without you, I would not have made it through my academic career. Coming from a low-income, first generation background, attending TCU and obtaining a higher education truly transformed my life. Through the MACE scholarship I was able to afford many of my textbooks for my classes (and we know those are not cheap). I was also able to use part of my scholarship funds to contribute to a study abroad trip during my time at TCU. I will forever be grateful for your contribution and investment in my education.
Can you share any plans on giving back to the MACE community?
I would love to be a part of the MACE seminars for students as well as the application review process. Through donations, I also hope to positively impact the life of even just one student, just as MACE did for me. I think it would be really awesome to create a mentorship program with current MACE recipients and pair them with MACE alumni or even MACE donors. I’m a big advocate of creating personal and professional relationships (never under estimate the power of networking).
