Elias Rodriguez
Every year the Tax Executive Institute awards a $2,000 scholarship to the Masters of Science in Taxation student from the graduating class at the Nazarian College with the highest GPA. This year, the recipient of that prestigious award is Elias Rodriguez, CPA.
Upon receiving the honor, Rodriguez was invited to the annual recognition dinner where he was presented with a certificate of his award.
The dedicated student created his own path to success. He graduated from CSUN’s undergraduate accounting program in 2004, and then worked for about eight years in the field at HCVT and then at a small CPA practice, Zigmond, Snow and Lang. After gaining experience in the tax field, Rodriguez made the decision to return to CSUN to pursue his graduate degree.
When asked what specific detail he could attribute to his academic success, he feels it was his dedication, as well as the sacrifices he made during the program. He shares that during his time in the Master’s program he put his social life on a complete hold.
“Basically I didn't have a social life. They did forewarn us, but I didn't believe them. And it wasn't until the first class, that I realized that they were serious, and I should take it very seriously,” Rodriguez said.
To maximize studying time, he even cut out family gatherings, birthdays, and weddings, all in order to have ample time to prepare for the courses.
He says, “I would attribute that directly to my success. In my experience, the more you are able to cut out and focus, the more you are prepared, and of course with that preparation comes success.”
Rodriguez jokes that he was not always the best student growing up. With his mother as a teacher, he had a lot to live up to as a young adult.
“I was a distracted student as a child. I was a tad bored with school and homework so I didn't always focus, or remember to do my homework,” he said.
But, it is clear that his motivation and drive to succeed have always been prevalent. He remembers a time in high school when he realized that it was not until he wanted something badly enough that he was able to focus.
He said,“I remember I wasn't allowed to run on the track team because my grades were not good enough, so the following semester I earned 3.8 GPA. This showed my parents that if I wanted something I could work for it.”
Even up to his undergrad his focus was not entirely on school. During college he always held a job, and even had an amateur boxing career. It was not until the Master’s program that he made school a priority.
A combination of work experience and focus is what guided his major success in the program.
“Some students who came right out of undergrad had no work experience. For example, they had no experience with tax forms. I think that my experience was the key to my success because I had enough work experience and enough drive to cut out all the other distractions,” he said.
Rodriguez also says that all of his fellow students sacrificed a lot and worked extremely hard, and it was a pleasant surprise to see he had won the award.
In the future, he sees himself advancing in the field by using research tools he learned in Dr. Efrat’s class.
He said, “Dr. Efrat’s class provides the foundation to succeed in the Master’s program and after the Master’s program. He provides the research and writing tools necessary communication for your clients and career.”
Rodriguez feels that it is imperative to be able to communicate to clients as an accountant.
“If you cannot communicate to your clients, you do not have a career. I believe that Dr. Efrat enabled students to research and communicate effectively.”