MAcc PROGRAM
BECKER NATIONAL INSTRUCTOR VISITS LOWDER HALL While en route to Auburn from New Jersey, Peter Olinto was approached by a group of young people on his flight. “Are you Peter Olinto? Look! Autograph my Becker book!” Peter gladly obliged the attention from his accounting student admirers. After the commotion subsided, an elderly woman approached Peter asking, “Are you famous or something?” Peter replied, “Are you a CPA?” The woman responded, “No.” “Then, no, I’m nobody,” he concluded. Laughter erupted from the Class of 2015 MAcc audience after hearing this story, as they understand that this is just one of those things that only resonates with accounting majors. While in the throes of the CPA exam studying, you become quite close to the men lecturing from your computer screen each 26
The SOA Connection
Fall 2015
day. The names Peter Olinto and Tim Gearty are legendary…but just to CPAs. Olinto has been a fixture in the Becker CPA Review scene for years, specializing in the Financial and Regulation subject areas. This spring marked the 10th anniversary of the Becker/Auburn CPA review course, and Peter’s visit commemorated the occasion. He kept the mood light since stress levels were high as the students began tackling the material for Regulation section of the exam. After discussing his career path, including how he became employed by Becker, Peter gave students some insight into the behind-the-scenes aspect of taped lectures. He even called the Becker National Lead Instructor, Tim Gearty, on speaker phone in front of the group. While Peter had visited Alabama once before (an unnamed rival school in Tusca-
Peter Olinto with a group of MAcc students on the 5th floor of Lowder Hall.
loosa), he had never been to Auburn. The Auburn MAcc students welcomed him back to the South with a barbecue dinner and goody bag full of Auburn spirited items. Hap Howell, a Class of 2015 MAcc student, spoke highly of Olinto. “Peter was my favorite Becker instructor. In my opinion, he had just the right mix of levity and serious intelligence. He teaches live courses full time in New York, and it was my impression that meeting distance students was of high importance to him. In addition to being intelligent, he was extremely personable. Getting to speak with him only elevated my already high opinion. Peter, and Becker in general, helped me tremendously in preparing for the CPA exam.” He may only be a celebrity among CPAs, but the Auburn MAcc students enjoyed meeting this iconic figure from their studies.