Personal Archives - Wiss & Company, LLP

Pursuing the American Dream

Written on May 10, 2022. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Arnold Macalintal Whenever I think of grit, determination, and more importantly giving, I think of my father, Teofilo Macalintal. My father grew up in the municipality of Alitagag in the province of Batangas in the Philippines. The family didn’t have much growing up and being one of 12 children, there was even less to go around. He found himself running around with gangs in his younger days and had the fading tattoos on his hands to show for it. He could have easily stayed on...

Stranger in a Strange Land

Written on July 1, 2021. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Adrienne Moscinski Every one of us has a story. A bit of truth that we tuck away from new eyes. A gaze that we aren’t quite sure of yet. We swim around the unknown looking for the light, where we can finally share who we are – our truth. Interviewing at a new company can be daunting. Poised with a crisp resume in hand, you present your best face. In a tailored suit, you search for the right words to let your personality shine through, while assuring the interviewer that you are...

Wiss: Where Family Comes First

Written on August 29, 2017. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By: Fatima Wallizadeh, former Audit Staff member Life never prepares you for a loss. When a personal tragedy suddenly pierced my family and I, it was one of the toughest experiences we have ever encountered. Unfortunately, this tragedy occurred in the midst of busy season at Wiss, the most frenzied and exigent time of year at any accounting firm. Now not only would I have to cope with the tragedy—I would have to steady the myriad responsibilities that occur during this period on...

Wiss’ Trailblazing Female Figures: Celebrating National Women’s History Month

Written on August 25, 2017. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By: Danielle Patton, former Marketing Intern The observance of National Women’s Equality Day not only celebrates the adoption of the 19th Amendment, but commemorates women’s remarkable and courageous efforts towards absolute equality in the workforce and all aspects of life. To honor this historic day, we would like to highlight Ugochi Oguh, an Audit Senior and inspiration leader at Wiss. Ugochi has a vast history of stimulating diversity and helping nonprofits conquer their financial...

The Impact of One’s Actions

Written on December 23, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Paul Peterson This is a story about how an individual’s actions can have an immense impact on others. Let’s be real, as a white male with blonde hair (albeit getting darker with age) and blue eyes, I am one of the least diverse people in my office. The only time I may get a second glance at being diverse is after a bad sunburn. So for me, I want to take the opportunity to share with you a period of time in my life that shaped me and provide you with a better understanding of why...

Using Resilience to Overcome a Bad Habit

Written on December 21, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Ajay Parikh I was fifteen years old when I somehow picked up the habit of smoking. One night, as I was outside my home with friends smoking, I spotted my older brother from twenty feet away, walking in my direction. As soon as he passed me I quickly crushed the burning cigarette in my hand, forming a visible burn on my right palm. But little did I know, I had already been caught. No one had ever smoked in my family before and I was the first person to ever try it, so I was nervous...

Stranger in a Strange Land

Written on December 20, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

Life is Short. Live it Right; Leave it Fulfilled

Written on December 19, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Diana Miller We all have stories. How profound is yours? How fulfilling is yours? When your time is up, will you leave behind a story people will remember that you are proud of? So here begins my story . . . I was raised in the United States by two immigrant parents, in a non-English speaking household. My father had an 8th-grade education, and my mother only completed 6th grade. I grew up being told you should stay home, cook, clean, be a good wife to your husband, and raise...

Choosing Your Own Path

Written on December 16, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Brittney Neal I was born and raised in Ohio. Around the time of my sixteenth birthday my parents and I had to move to upstate New York due to the threat of my dad losing his job. Unfortunately, a few years after moving and settling my dad was laid off again. Fast forward a few months later, he was thankfully able to find a job in New Jersey, and we have been in this lovely state ever since. For me, moving was a time of fear and excitement. I was scared to leave behind all my...

My Sister’s Keeper

Written on December 15, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Lori Graham Everyone is capable of inspiring others. I was born into a situation that took me a long time to accept and understand the purpose of it all and while I learned how to make the best of it, but that didn’t come easily. Ultimately, life is a gift; however, it doesn’t always feel that way. From the start everyone is given a deck of cards and it is up to you to choose how to deal with them and find your own happiness. I am not resilient; I’m learning to be resilient....

Divorce from a Young Adult’s Perspective

Written on December 14, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Jack Tawil It happens more than 50% of the time; it happens for many reasons; its emotional result spares few; its societal brand is understood, but a brand nonetheless; it’s happened to me and has possibly in some way happened to you: it’s divorce. I was a freshman in college thinking, “How can the day get any worse after receiving my worst graded exam since third grade spelling?”. A random phone call from my father instantly set off a trigger. Was it my sick grandma, my brother...

Making a Conscious Effort to Choose Happiness

Written on December 13, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Carrie Grotz I think I was born a worrier. I used to worry about everything and anything, especially about things out of my control: things that I thought would happen and especially the worry about what others thought about me. I’ve since learned that worry was a big waste of time and caused me low self-esteem and self-confidence. As the years went on, things happened that broke my heart. I lost my grandmother who I was very close to. I loved my mother more than anything in the...

The Hidden Cost of Assimilation

Written on December 12, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Shelley Lazarescu My story is one of many Asian American experiences. My parents came to the U.S. with $5,000 in cash and no knowledge of the English language or customs. They uprooted our family from Taiwan due to tensions with China. Through extreme hard work and unlimited sacrifice, they created opportunities to build a better life for my sister and I. We hardly took any vacations but when we did travel, it was back to Taiwan for funerals to pay respects to our family. During...

My True Self: A Story of Acceptance and Change

Written on December 9, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Joel Bockhorn When I was younger, both in Middle and High School, coming to terms with my true identity was a serious challenge. I wanted to have a happy and successful future, but based on what I had come to understand about myself, I feared I wouldn’t have the opportunity to live the future that I wanted, or even have the same privileges that others had. Near the end of my time in Middle School, I had figured out that I was gay. It was something that although I knew was true,...

Developing Resiliency – Are You a Carrot, an Egg, or a Coffee Bean?

Written on December 8, 2016. Posted in Wiss Gets Personal.

By Kimberly Bustamante A young woman spoke with her mother about how hard things were for her in her life. As soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose. She did not know how she was going to make it. She wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water, placing each on a high fire. The pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second – eggs, and in the last she placed ground...

Protecting Your Personal Information During Tax Season

Written on January 15, 2015. Posted in Tax Alerts.

Protecting Your Personal Information During Tax Season By Wiss Associate As accountants, we understand that your identity is just as important as your financial well-being. With tax season just around the corner, scammers will use this opportunity to get access to personal information. Some common strategies include receiving calls from: A self-proclaimed “Governmental Agency” U.S. Treasury or IRS Sweepstake entry representative We’ve all heard stories of someone who have fallen...

Tag: Personal

Pursuing the American Dream

Stranger in a Strange Land

Wiss: Where Family Comes First

Wiss’ Trailblazing Female Figures: Celebrating National Women’s History Month

The Impact of One’s Actions

Using Resilience to Overcome a Bad Habit

Stranger in a Strange Land

Life is Short. Live it Right; Leave it Fulfilled

Choosing Your Own Path

My Sister’s Keeper

Divorce from a Young Adult’s Perspective

Making a Conscious Effort to Choose Happiness

The Hidden Cost of Assimilation

My True Self: A Story of Acceptance and Change

Developing Resiliency – Are You a Carrot, an Egg, or a Coffee Bean?

Protecting Your Personal Information During Tax Season

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