麻豆传媒映画

鈥淚 think the reason accounting is so interesting to me is that it is the language of business. And with this language, I can better understand corporate culture and corporate decision making.鈥�

A passion for learning and a love of language are two defining traits of Shira Cohen, a newly appointed accounting professor at 麻豆传媒映画.

Cohen, who grew up in a multicultural home and spent her early childhood in Israel, was heavily influenced by her Spanish-speaking grandparents and still speaks both Hebrew and Spanish.

鈥淭he language of music has also been a big influence in my life,鈥�  Cohen noted. 鈥淢y grandfather was a naturally gifted pianist and while his formal education was cut short by the Holocaust, he instilled in me a strong appreciation for classical music 鈥� my name actually means 鈥榮ong鈥� in Hebrew.鈥� 

Cohen鈥檚 fascination with language also holds the key to her interest in accounting. 鈥淚 think the reason accounting is so interesting to me is that it is the language of business,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd with this language, I can better understand corporate culture and corporate decision making.鈥� 

It is her passion for learning, though, that eventually determined her career path. As an undergraduate  at the University of Pennsylvania, Cohen majored in biology, thinking she would continue on the science Ph.D. route. However, innate curiosity led her to take courses in subject areas from bioengineering to art history. It was a class in the business school that changed her path.

During her senior year in college, she applied to and accepted an offer at the New York City office of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Working at PwC confirmed  she had made the right decision going the business route. 鈥淚 was working with interesting colleagues on challenging projects,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淎ctually, the first time I visited San Diego was as a consultant for PwC.鈥� 

She eventually decided to formalize her business education and pursue an MBA at Columbia University. 鈥淎s an MBA student, I was naturally drawn to finance and accounting,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ccounting, in particular, felt like learning a new language and I was excited to use this new language to further explore the real-world business issues I was exposed to in my work.鈥�

After earning her MBA, she went on to work in finance. However, it was just a matter of time before she would return to academia as a doctoral student to study these issues in greater detail. As a bonus, during her graduate studies, she discovered a gift for teaching. 鈥淚 find helping students understand and master 鈥� what at first may seem like a daunting and complex subject area 鈥� truly rewarding.鈥� 

Throughout all this, Cohen participated in a number of volunteer programs aimed at assisting low-income communities. 

鈥淪upporting and mentoring low-income individuals is extremely important and meaningful to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have been volunteering a significant amount of my time since I was a senior in high school.鈥�

Two programs she is particularly proud of are Streetwise Partners and Read Ahead. At Streetwise Partners she mentored, on a weekly basis, low-income adults and helped them attain skills needed to secure employment. At Read Ahead, she mentored low-income elementary school students and helped instill within them the confidence needed to succeed.

After earning her Ph.D. at Columbia, Cohen joined Temple University. During this time, she also served as a visiting scholar-in-residence at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. 鈥淲orking at the SEC was an invaluable experience. I was able to witness firsthand and contribute to the commission鈥檚 work on balancing investor protection and capital formation.鈥�

In 2020, Cohen moved out west to join the  faculty at 麻豆传媒映画. What initially attracted her to 麻豆传媒映画 was the emphasis the school places on both research and teaching. However, it was the language in the university鈥檚 stated mission, promoting cultural inclusivity, that resonated like music to her ears. 鈥淲hat made me decide to come to 麻豆传媒映画 is the school鈥檚 vibrant multicultural environment and its emphasis on diversity,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has been a welcoming new home.鈥�