When you ask Harvy Patel ’26 about her career plans, she does not miss a beat: “I am very excited to become Harvy Patel, JD, CPA.”
The accounting and business management major is well on her way. Her first stop is Wake Forest University to pursue a Master of Accountancy and become a Certified Public Accountant. After that, law school and a stint in corporate/tax law are on the horizon. Harvy recently shared how Berry has prepared her to fulfill professional ambitions while caring deeply for others.
Before graduation, you were awarded Head Resident of the Year. What were the top three lessons from this position?
- I learned that setting boundaries, asking for help and taking care of my own mental health wasn't selfish, but a necessity so I could show up for my residents and my staff.
- Berry has a culture that genuinely cares about developing the whole person, and being a resident assistant gave me a front-row seat to that mission every single day!
- I learned independence. I was the type of person who relied on others for reassurance and was not very confident in my decision-making or my own company. However, being forced to make certain decisions and judgments, handling hard moments and coming back to an empty room really pushed me outside of my bubble.
Who is your most influential mentor?
Dr. Thomas Carnes! His story is so inspiring because he learned accounting later in life, passed the CPA, has been a journalist and is such an empathetic soul. I aspire to be as wise, talented and smart as he is!
What are your most meaningful Berry experiences?
- Giving a speech about what my faith means to me at the Solidarity Week candlelight service
- Serving on leadership for the Asian American Pacific Islander Club and International Club
- Taking Intro to Prototyping in creative technologies, which taught me so much about engineering and coding and concepts I was unfamiliar with
- Running the Berry Half Marathon, which challenged me mentally … but I would do it again 100 times over because I am closer to becoming the woman I always knew I could be!
Harvy's Berry Experiences
