Business: Accountant
Business
Accountant: Sonia Millare
By Mike Yoshiura
These days it’s difficult to find a 26 year old with the expertise and tenure that Sonia Millare has. It was almost a decade ago when Sonia enrolled in the Academy of Finance Program at Waipahu High School, putting her on a path that led to a career in accounting.
“I wanted to start out early and get ahead. My parents always stressed the importance of education. They wanted me to have a better life than they did,” said Sonia. “I didn’t want to settle for any old career. I thought I was going to be a realtor, but being that I’m shy I thought I would have a problem approaching someone to buy a house. My dad was an accountant in the Philippines so I kind of followed in his footsteps.”
The Academy Of Finance Program
The National Academy Foundation (NAF), in partnership with Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union (Hawaii USA FCU), operates the Academy of Finance Program at Waipahu High School. The NAF teams up with high schools nationwide to create a partnership between business leaders and educators to prepare high school students for professional careers.
The program is a two-year elective course offered to juniors and seniors. It includes a paid summer internship, a college credited speech course, scholarship opportunities and a graduation ceremony once the program is completed.
“At the completion of the program I obtained a part-time job at the credit union as a office clerk, three college credits in language arts, a $500 scholarship, a certificate of completion from the advisory board signed by state officials and most importantly, the beginning of my career.”
A Course Summary
Sonia spent her junior year familiarizing herself with the business industry. She learned how to write professional letters, the proper behavior, how to dress and how to handle herself in a job interview. Once a week during lunch break she and her classmates operated S.A.F.E. (Secured Assets for Financial Efficiency), a satellite of Hawaii USA FCU. They accepted cash, check deposits, loan payments and opened new accounts. Transactions were accepted using downtime receipts (manual paper receipts), and a staff member from the credit union picked up the deposits at the end of the day.
During her senior year Sonia learned how to play the stock market, which gave her the chance to apply the skills she learned from the previous year. Her class also learned the importance of networking and maintaining business relationships.
Internships Can Take You Places
The summer before senior year, Sonia wisely took the knowledge she acquired, and invested it in an internship at Hawaii USA FCU. The internship lasted for about 90 days, and when school resumed in the fall Sonia already had her first part-time job at the credit union. Sonia was in school from Monday to Friday so she only had time to work on Saturday at an hourly wage of $6.50.
Sonia graduated in 1999, and went to Leeward Community College to get her liberal arts credits out of the way. Now that she had a more flexable schedule, the Waipahu native took on more hours at the bank for extra spending money. “I just stuck with it. I wanted to give back to the bank because I felt like they were investing in me.”
Sonia graduated from the University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu in 2005, with a degree in business administration and a concentration in accounting. Hawaii USA FCU rewarded her accomplishment with a full-time position as an Accountant I.
A Teacher & A Mentor
Jean Miyahira was the advisor for the Academy of Finance Program, and, she was like a second mother to Sonia. “Without her encouragement I wouldn’t be where I am today. She always pushed us to take initiative, and she taught us not to wait around for something good to happen.”
On The Job
After working full time at Hawaii USA FCU for almost two years, Sonia is now an Accountant II. Her daily duties include balancing and reconciling accounts, interpreting and developing financial statements and reports, forecasting trends, and compiling financial information. Sonia’s short-term goals include becoming a Senior Accountant, but she’s content with her current job title for now. “I didn’t think it would turn out the way it did, but I’m glad it did. Things just worked out for me I guess.”