Simona Olah arrived in Chicago on Independence Day 2005 from Romania in pursuit of a career in American business. Since then, the accountancy major has demonstrated that persistence is vital to success, but she also learned that the journey cannot be navigated alone.

Less than three weeks after moving to the United States, Olah was employed as a caregiver for two brothers with learning disabilities. Although successful in helping the children manage their attention deficit and finish schoolwork, Olah realized a much greater challenge when it came time for the brothers to prepare for their bar mitzvah ceremonies.

The Hebrew school they were attending did not have accommodations for children with special needs, so the family hired a private tutor. They soon discovered the tutor was not as familiar with the siblings’ style of learning as Olah was.

Despite no prior knowledge of Hebrew, Olah decided to attend lessons with them and learned Hebrew in order to reinforce the material with the boys outside of class.

The results, according to Olah, were remarkable.

“When the rabbi heard them chant all the prayers with no mistakes he was in shock. It was so amazing to see his reaction. My heart was jumping out of my chest. Those were my boys. I felt like a proud mom,” she said.

Olah began classes at Oakton Community College in addition to taking care of the boys. While at Oakton, she was mentored by her first accountancy professor, Jay Cohen. Olah told him that she wanted to go to the best possible program in Chicago for business and he recommended DePaul.

With little time in her daily schedule, Olah would study beginning as late as 11 p.m. Despite the long nights balancing school while working 50 hours per week, her goal to attend DePaul kept her going.

“I printed out the DePaul transfer guide, and in two years I completed all of the classes I needed to transfer to DePaul,” she said. “Professor Cohen basically took me by the hand and guided me through the educational system in the United States.”

After enrolling at DePaul as an accountancy major in the Driehaus College of Business, Olah took the next step in her career by applying for a summer internship with the guidance of the DePaul career center.

“I took full advantage of their support,” Olah said. “They told me I needed an accounting internship by the end of my junior year. I did not have a suit, never had a resume in my life, and had never been to a formal interview. They helped me so much with how to carry myself.”

As a result, she secured her top internship of choice with Ernst & Young in the summer of 2013. Although Olah was raised by a single mother who taught her how to be strong and independent, she realized this type of accomplishment would not be possible without seeking guidance from others.

“I recently went to a scholarship luncheon and Rev. Dennis Holtschneider said, ‘Never say that you’re self-made, because you’re not.’ Before, I would have the tendency to say I did it all on my own, but it’s not true. The moment you get a scholarship, the moment professors advise you and guide you in the right direction, the moment the staff from the career center help you get your desired internship, you can no longer claim you did it by yourself,” Olah said.

Olah has accepted a full-time offer with Ernst & Young that begins this fall. She dreams of becoming a managing partner for the Chicago office one day. For now, she will focus on passing the rigorous Certified Public Accountant exam. Studying for the exam begins the day after graduation.

Written by Stephanie Goldina