Western Ventura County Employer Advisory Council

Linda Manzo

I attended Ventura College for the Fall semester and was granted the opportunity to transfer out a semester early to UC Riverside for the Winter and Spring quarters. While I transferred out with the goal of graduating early, it was also done as a precaution since I knew the level of competition and uncertainty of acceptance for the Fall 2025 semester at other schools I had applied to. I was taken aback when, in late March, when I was accepted into California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Though the choice was difficult to make, I am beyond excited and grateful to begin at Cal Poly in the fall where I will be finishing my bachelor’s degree in business, with a concentration in accounting. 

I am financially independent from my parents, I know that attending a university means that any and all financial obligations the school requires is my burden to carry.I am very grateful for the financial aid package that I have received from Cal Poly, which has relieved me of most financial responsibilities for tuition and on-campus housing. The two scholarships I have been awarded, the Mary A. Sandaval and Avelina Villalobos scholarship, have covered the gap between my financial aid offer and outstanding balance. I will be able to complete my junior year of college without an out of pocket cost and will not need to take out student loans. Without this worry, I’ll be able to place my full focus on my studies, classes that will include Intermediate Accounting, Statistical Inference for Management, and Federal Income Taxation.

I am very excited to begin at Cal Poly, I plan on being a part of their LBSA (Latino Business Student Association) and Accounting Society organizations. I am currently on track to graduate a quarter early, in March of 2027. After graduating, I plan on taking the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam and continuing my accounting career in the audit sector. I am very excited to begin my career within accounting, this summer I will be interning within Deloitte’s Audit and Assurance sector in thier Downtown Los Angeles office. I’m very grateful for Ventura College, for my Introduction to Accounting and Financial Accounting classes that have helped guide me to where I am today and for the gracious scholarships that I have received to help me continue my education and complete my bachelor’s degree.