Who’s Lorenia?

I, Lorenia Shiels, grew up in a border town in Arizona. From an early age I started taking accounting courses, and to be honest, I did not like it. However, I was meant to stay in this career. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Accounting at the University of Arizona, go Wildcats! Down the road, I got my master’s in… accounting, and eventually sat down for the CPA exam and became certified. I’m genuinely proud of this accomplishment given my numerous limited beliefs back then.

Throughout my 15 years of experience in public accounting I have learned that my career in accounting goes beyond numbers, bookkeeping, and preparation of income taxes. I found that the part I enjoyed the most of my job was the time when I was meeting with my clients to explain their tax returns, financial statements, or how to correctly record accounting transactions, basically, answer any questions they may have. However, that was never the only topic we would discuss, they would always share anything that was going on their personal lives, being struggles or amazing stories. I know many people don’t like that, but I do, I like that connection with my clients. I don’t consider myself just as the accountant who prepares a tax return, but their professional advisor who can understand where they are coming from and guide them to achieve their goals. Many people overlook their personal struggles and how they affect your whole life, including your business.

Aside from the accounting world, I have to tell you that I love my house and my neighborhood, I have the best view of the mountains in Rio Rico, Arizona, which I share with my husband and my three lovely dogs. I love nature, running outdoors or hiking are my favorite physical activities. On the creative side, I enjoy acrylic and oil painting, I’m not saying I’m the artist, but boy I enjoy it. I’m just present in that moment and love the strokes of the brushes and the company of the group of ladies that I paint with. We also formed a book club. I love getting lost in fiction stories or learning from personal development books, especially those related on how the human brain works, fascinating!

On to continue writing my story, and I hope I can make a contribution to yours…