Lisa Enfinger:  

Life After graduating from Catalina, I enrolled at the University of Arizona. Thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, but learned I didn't have the stomach for cutting into flesh. After two more changes of major in two years (Anthropology, Romance Languages), I took a break from school to work full time in the Bursar's Office at the U of A. I started out as a typist and was quickly promoted to Accounting Clerk; I worked with foreign students whose registration fees were paid for by some sponsor, such as a government. It was really interesting work and my first experience with accounting. I had taken accounting in high school (with Mr. Rowland), and excelled at it, but never given serious thought to it as a career. Since both my parents were scientists (PhD's in Biochemistry and Chemistry), I always assumed I would also be a scientist. That short stint at the U of A showed me that my talents lay elsewhere, but I realized pretty quickly that I needed a degree to make any money at it. So back to school I went, full-time and non-stop for two and a half years. When I came out, I had a double degree in Accounting and Finance, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since then, I've worked in Public Accounting (Arthur Andersen & Co); the gaming industry (Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Caesar's Tahoe in Lake Tahoe); and for the longest period of time, in the public sector (U of A and UC-San Diego as Business Manager for auxiliary enterprise units; Pima College as an accountant; Pima County as an accounting supervisor). Along the way, I got married at the age of 30, and earned an M. Ed. from Northern Arizona University. I also taught financial accounting and fund accounting as an adjunct faculty member at Pima College. In 2002, my first husband, Dennis, passed away after several years of serious illness. We'd been married over ten years. I was at loose ends, dealing with the grief from my loss, and trying to figure out what to do next. Thanks to e-mail, I got re...Expand for more