Number 40,000.

• Position: Finalentry - Interview

CalCPA has reached 40,000 members, a momentous moment for its and a testament to the strength of the profession in the Golden State. Signing up as the 40,000th member is Katrina Carrizales, a manager at the Los Angeles office of PwC LLP. Carrizales, who received her CPA license in 2009, also has joined CalCPA's Forensic Services Section. We caught up with Carrizales to learn more about member number 40,000.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why CalCPA, and why now?

I wanted to join CalCPA to slay active in the CPA community. A director I work with at PwC is actively involved in CalCPA and mentioned it to me. so I thought now was the perfect time to become a member.

Are you originally from Los Angeles?

I grew Up in the suburbs of Chicago, then lived and worked in downtown Chicago for three years. I moved to Los Angeles three wars ago and have fallen in love with this city. I've also enjoyed working with the diverse clients who call California home.

What made you decide to become a CPA?

I studied business at the University of Illinois, and at the time it had one of the highest ranked accounting programs. I decided to try a few classes and ended up truly enjoying the content and my professors. After that. I decided to major in accounting. Once I decided to pursue a degree in accounting I knew I wanted to get my CPA license. I figured out all of the requirements and as soon as I graduated I started sitting for the different sections.

Forensic services is an interesting niche of the profession. Any cool stories to share?

The stories are endless! The past five year been an incredible journey full of wonderful and challenging experiences. While working in forensics you never know what will happen or what to expect for example, I have gotten a call on a Friday telling me I need to fly to Europe on Monday. A large amount I what we do is highly confidential, but that k lat keeps Inc interested!

How did you get into that specific discipline of accounting?

I have always been a people person and the night consulting would be a great fit foe me. When I was interviewing for jobs in college, I happened to come across PwC's Forensic Services Practice. The job description sounded like nothing I had done before, but I had taken a fraud class in college and truly enjoyed it. After talking to PwC employees. I felt that the Forensics Services Practice was the perfect fit for me. We help our clients navigate challenges every day and sometimes live in a...