Crystal Estes: A Model of Excellence

Every Tuesday night during the semester at 7 PM, nearly 80 students fill a classroom to network with each other and with recruiters at the Accounting Club meetings.  Two years ago membership wasn’t even half that number. At the root of this tremendous spike in numbers is Crystal Estes, former Beta Alpha Psi member and Chico State graduate. Besides having her own successful career as a CPA, Estes is a professor at Chico State. By offering students some “class incentives” for joining, along with her power of persuasion, she has (arguably) singlehandedly caused the club’s growth.

Estes recalls her own reluctance to join the club(s) when she was a student and how overwhelmed she felt trying to establish herself in a competitive marketplace. “I remembered what it felt like to not know what I was doing when it came to getting a job,” she said.  But it still took a lot of persuading to get her to show up.  So she works hard to persuade her students to see that Beta Alpha Psi is worth their time and that their efforts will be rewarded.

She has certainly succeeded. Most students remain as active club members until graduation.  Estes has created a form of sustainable growth for Beta Alpha Psi. Both students and recruiters are benefitting as a result.

Beyond merely motivating students to become members of Beta Alpha Psi, Estes’ own career path coupled with her passion for accounting provides an inspiring model for her students. Estes joined Beta Alpha Psi during her senior year. She was working at the Wal-Mart distribution center in order to put herself through school and she was also married to her husband, Chris. She had minimal spare time. But she and a small group of girls decided it was time to join after hearing another club member speak about the club in class. It is a decision she has never regretted. She held an officer position her second semester and was the VP Tech when she graduated in December of 2008. She had six job offers. She went directly to work at Matson & Isom for about two years. From there she moved to an industry job. In May of 2012 she began working at Auctiva where she is currently the Controller.

Estes’ first semester as a professor was in the Fall of 2010. She says she was just “in the right place at the right time” when Dr. Tim Kizirian called to see if she would be interested in the position. Her first class was ACCT 422, Accounting Controls and Asset Management for Small Businesses. Despite being “the most nerve-wracking experience of [her] life,” she loved it. The students loved her too. The rest is history.

Estes confessed that she is still torn about what she wants to be when she grows up- a professor or a CPA. “I love both,” she said, “and I’m really fortunate that I don’t have to decide yet…. I have the best of both worlds.” While Estes may feel spoiled by her career, it is the students at Chico State who are spoiled to have a wonderful professor. Her love for accounting is infectious and because of her strong industry knowledge, students have the ideal learning environment. Crystal Estes has not only bolstered Beta Alpha Psi, she continues be a living illustration of the success and personal fulfillment that are possible in accounting. We are all blessed to have her on campus.