Tamara Ireifej began working in accounting in high school as a volunteer tax preparer in the Academy of Finance program at North Rockland High School. That was when she realized she had a knack for the work and took a chance in pursuing an accounting degree at St. Thomas Aquinas College.
“It has paid off,” she says. “I had great professors who encouraged and supported me through the years, which solidified that I made the right choice.”
The 150-hour accelerated accounting program that Tamara enrolled in streamlined the process — she was an accounting major with a concentration in finance — to become licensed and earn her MBA quickly and seamlessly.
As an honors student at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Tamara participated in the Student Government Association, the business club, and Spartan Volunteers. She was also a resident assistant, an orientation leader and a student ambassador. Tamara tutored other business students as an accounting lab assistant. One of the most memorable highlights of her college years was studying abroad in Oxford, an experience she describes as “one of the greatest times” of her life.
“I had the best time traveling around with my friends, not just going to class, but actually living in a truly beautiful place and really learning to be on my own for the first time,” she says.
Today, Tamara works as a tax manager at Mariner Wealth Advisors in New York City where she reviews tax returns, projections, and research and consults with her colleagues and clients. While each day is different, there is a cyclical rhythm to the work, a routine that Tamara enjoys. She’s been with the firm nearly seven years, starting out as a client service associate and moving up to senior tax associate before taking on her current role in early 2023.
Previously, Tamara served as a financial analyst at Prestige Management Services in New Jersey and she also dabbled in social media consulting after completing a graduate assistantship in marketing at the College.
What is most rewarding about her career? “Helping people with their finances and taxes,” Tamara says. “It’s a confusing and overwhelming part of the human experience, so making sure that my clients, friends, and family are making the right decisions regarding money makes it all worth it.”
Down the road, Tamara sees herself working in accounting, but she will possibly shift specialties. “There are so many subsets and opportunities in the accounting and finance space that it means you can apply the same principles to different industries.”
Tamara grew up in Garnerville, New York, and loved to read as a child, spending a good part of her summers in the library. Nowadays, she is taking on a new challenge: learning to quilt and make her own clothing. A self-described “crafty person,” Tamara learned to sew from her mom and grandmother. About a year ago, she dusted off her sewing machine and started creating projects again.
“I’ve started a quilt which isn’t necessarily hard, but very involved, like one giant puzzle!” she says. She’s also altering her own clothes in preparation to make a complete outfit for herself in the future.