STUDENT P R O F I LES
Kyle L. Simonson of Andover, Minn., just completed his fourth year at the University of North Dakota. Simonson is majoring in accountancy, with a minor in military science. He chose accountancy because he wanted to be able to understand the inner workings of businesses. Simonson is currently contracted with the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and upon graduation he will serve as a United States Army Officer. He hopes to enter either the Military Intelligence branch, the Finance Corps or the Medical Service Corps. His dream is to be placed in a command position.
Kyle Simonson
Major: Accountancy Minor: Military Science
Hometown: Andover, Minn.
Simonson has completed two internships, participating in both the Army Cultural Understanding and Language Program and the Intelligence and Security Command Internship Program. As a UND student, Simonson has received recognition with a number of awards: the President’s Honor Roll, the Dean’s List, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Award, the German Award, the German Armed Forces Badge of Military Proficiency, and five different Reid Taubenheim, an accountancy major who is minoring in computer science, is looking forward to his third year at the University of North Dakota. Taubenheim chose accounting because he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. “Seeing the success he has achieved professionally also drew me to accountancy,” said Taubenheim. While he is unsure of what exactly his dream job is, Taubenheim currently has multiple internship offers. He believes internship experiences will help him learn more about the many options for starting his career in accounting.
Reid Taubenheim
Major: Accountancy Minor: Computer Science Hometown: Farmington, Minn.
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At UND Taubenheim has enjoyed success both in and out of the classroom. His academic accomplishments include recognition on the Dean’s List and the Big Sky Academic Honor Roll. As a UND football player, Taubenheim was a Big Sky All-Conference player as a freshman, the FSC leading rookie scorer in 2015, and a four-time Big Sky Player of the Week. As a student athlete with a demanding major, Taubenheim has a full schedule.
scholarships. Outside of the classroom, Simonson has taken advantage of opportunities for involvement and leadership development. He has served as the Chapter President of Phi Beta Lambda, the UND Chapter Treasurer of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and a volunteer with Special Olympics North Dakota. Simonson says his most valuable experiences as a UND accounting student happened when he was juggling school and extracurricular commitments. He says this taught him how to push himself and develop a strong sense of discipline, while never allowing himself to give up. He encourages incoming students to take advantage of as many involvement opportunities as possible, through student organizations, university activities, and/or community events. “I also encourage students to seek out mentors among the faculty and allow them to nurture you both academically and professionally,” said Simonson.
However, he makes time to take advantage of other involvement opportunities. He is an officer in the Accounting Club and consistently volunteers at Phoenix Elementary School and St. Joseph’s Food Pantry. Taubenheim’s top piece of advice for incoming accounting students is to go on the Accounting Field Trip. The Accounting Field Trip is an annual two-day trip to Minneapolis that includes alumni networking events and site visits to firms that recruit UND accounting graduates. Taubenheim says the field trip gives students the opportunity to learn more about the profession and individual firms, and it helps students get a sense of which firms best fit their individual interests and personalities. Taubenheim recognizes the value of connecting with alumni and recruiters, and he encourages students to participate. “Any opportunity to network has to be taken. Along with good grades and extracurricular activities, networking is the most important thing for students looking for internships and full-time job opportunities.”