By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
When life threw Kelly Shrike a curveball in the form of a divorce, she stepped up and knocked it out of the park by changing her vocation and earning a third master’s degree.
“I needed to get a job that I could rely on and that there was a demand for,” she said. “I had a great mentor at my last job, where I was working in the billing department. She said that in order for me to be more marketable, I needed a master’s degree.”
Shrike took heed of that advice and graduated from Boise State University’s online Master of Science in Accountancy, Foundations program in May 2024.
“She also told me to go into accounting because there are always jobs in the field,” she said. “It’s true that I had no background in accounting. It’s a big leap, but I’ve worked in medical billing and office management. It worked out well.”
While enrolled, Shrike started a new position as a senior accountant at CarNow in Hanover, New Hampshire, after working as a staff accountant at another company for two and a half years.
A stay-at-home mom for 10 years, Shrike also has three teenage daughters, so the flexibility of the online format was key.
“I appreciated the fact that deadlines were weekly so I could stay on top of things,” she said. “There were professors who emphasized having a community with the other online students, so I got to meet some of the people in my classes. It was nice to have interactions with human beings.
“I could also listen to the lectures at 1.75 speed. I appreciated being able to do it at my own speed. Plus, there’s no commute. I am pretty driven, so I knew I was going to get the degree done.”
Lifelong learner
Shrike is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas in 1996. She added a master’s degree in landscape architecture from LSU (1999) and in city/urban, community and regional planning from the University of Texas (2007).
In addition to working in landscape architecture, Shrike taught two courses at LSU on the subject for one semester. Returning to higher education was a natural fit for her.
“I chose Boise State because it was affordable,” she said. “I also liked the pass rates for the CPA exam. I had a great experience with my student success coach. She was attentive and wasn’t pressuring me. She answered my questions honestly. She put together a program before I signed up where I could see what the degree would entail.”
Earning a master’s degree in accountancy through the foundations program was essential for Shrike because it is geared toward students without an undergraduate degree in accounting.
“I especially liked Taxation of Nonprofit Organizations, taught by Mark Cowan,” she said. “He humanized the accounting element and linked everything with a story. There was a lot of participation with the class.
“That was the one class where I had to attend once a week. It was nice to connect with people and see faces. I got to know Mark, too, because I got to see him once a week.”
The knowledge Shrike gained in the online Master of Science in Accountancy, Foundations remains applicable to her fledgling career.
“I am going for my CPA right now, so I am appreciative of all of my classes in audit,” she said. “They are speaking directly to everything I am studying. The basic accounting principles are important. It’s definitely recognized in my field that having a master’s means you know what you’re doing.”
Icing on the cake
An added bonus to returning to college is the influence Shrike has seen on her daughters, including their study habits.
“I took them to a Sabrina Carpenter concert in Montreal a few weeks ago,” she said. “I was using note cards to study while I was driving. After that, I noticed both of my older kids using note cards to study, too.”
Two of her daughters were also on hand to see their mother walk the graduation stage to receive her degree in Idaho.
“(Boise State) President Marlene Tromp’s speech was great,” she said. “The overall emphasis of the graduation ceremony was about first-time college students. I appreciated the accessibility that message portrayed. The student who spoke had been trying to get a degree for seven years. It demonstrated the can-do spirit.
“My kids remembered a couple of President Tromp’s quotes; one of them was about fear being a mile wide, a mile tall, but only an inch thick. She had some accessible messages that resonated with my kids. It meant a lot to me for my kids to see me walk. I also got to meet some of my professors.”
Now that she is a Boise State alumna, Shrike has the benefit of reflecting on her experience earning an online degree at a university across the country.
“The program itself and the professors are great,” she said. “You have to do a little bit each day. Fit it in wherever you can.
“With accounting students, everybody was very proactive as soon as an assignment or group project was posted. It was nice to see that energy to get things done and not waiting to the last minute, which you can’t do.”
Shrike knows that having a master’s degree in accountancy is paying dividends as she continues to apply what she learned.
“It’s essential,” she said. “I would not be anywhere without the degree. My company just had a round of layoffs, and I feel like the degree protected me. I’ve got proven skills. My last mentor thinks I am chief financial officer material. Why not dream big?”
And keep on swinging.
Learn more about the Online MSA
Earning an Online Master of Science in Accountancy from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.
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