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Tracy Sumner

Senior Auditor
Cherry, Bekaert & Holland
Raleigh, NC

 

Tracy Sumner knows the importance of balance, and not just a balance sheet. She’s a runner, bass guitarist, former college basketball player. And she’s a CPA.

She has always been a person to find the perfect mix of work and play. During her junior year, Tracy was the women’s basketball team’s leading scorer for the season. The same year, she took a few accounting classes and realized her passion and skills extended beyond the hardwood. Tracy knew she would always be able to find a job as a CPA, so she continued on that path.

Now that she has her CPA certification, Tracy still maintains the same harmony. “I am at clients' offices about half the time,” she says. “A lot of my job involves working with the clients, which requires good people skills. I have to meet the people in all departments of the organization, not just accounting. Amazingly, I rarely work with numbers.”

But it’s not all work for Tracy. She has played bass guitar since college and now is in a band with three friends. “We all have regular jobs, so we practice on Sunday afternoons. We write our own songs, and play in local venues about every other month.”

“I also like to run and trained for a half-marathon last fall. I run about three to four times a week, usually in the mornings so my nights are free to cook dinner and relax after work,” Tracy says. She also plays in a women's recreational basketball league and has coached a 5th and 6th grade boys YMCA team.

Tracy stresses the importance of finding symmetry between work/school life and personal life and she thinks becoming a CPA is a great way to find it. “Becoming a CPA will give you infinite career possibilities that fit your interests, personality and lifestyle. There are opportunities in literally every industry and you will always have job security!”

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