Marissa Bolger
Marissa Bolger has been passionate about becoming an accountant since she was 12 years old, and JEDI was able to help her pursue that dream. “I felt like I wasn’t having good luck and then it all just turned around one day. I came in here [JEDI office] and then from there I was like ‘alright I'm on my path’,” said Marissa.
Marissa Bolger and her family are from Eel River Bar, New Brunswick, but she grew up in the Fredericton area. Marissa graduated with a BBA from the University of New Brunswick in 2019, with an honours in accounting. After graduation she was working in retail, but she didn’t want to do that long-term. “I wanted to do what my goals were always working towards,” said Marissa, which was her career in accounting.
Marissa knew about JEDI’s Indigenous Internship Program (IIP) because her mom was a former JEDI employee. She knew that JEDI is an organization that strives to help Indigenous Peoples and communities, so she decided to reach out. “It all went pretty quickly once we hit the ground running,” said Marissa.
Currently, Marissa is a staff accountant at Teed Saunders Doyle. “JEDI really helped me get there,” said Marissa. At Teed Saunders Doyle, Marissa emphasized that you learn a lot. “There’s a lot of different things that we do. We do taxes for corporate clients, individual taxes, bookkeeping, audits. It is really busy, and it’s been crazy, but I like it a lot,” said Marissa. When asked what her favourite aspect is about her job, Marissa said she loves the environment at Teed Saunders Doyle. “It’s kind of a broad answer but I really enjoy everybody I work with and the work that they give me. There is always someone there to help you when you are learning something new. Just how much knowledge I'm getting is something I really enjoy about it,” said Marissa.
Marissa mentioned the craziness of starting a career during peak-pandemic but although it was a difficult way to start, she feels she has gained a lot from it. She said she has been able to learn new things and gain new skills every day. “A year ago, if I was looking at me now, I would be completely confused. It looked like rocket science last year and now it’s all piecing together,” said Marissa. “I say sometimes that I get to go to work and solve puzzles every day, because as a kid I really loved puzzles. You can struggle and take a while on it but when it clicks together, it’s really great,” said Marissa.
In May 2020, Marissa started the Chartered Professionals Accountant (CPA) program as she hopes to move up within Teed Saunders Doyle. “They like to tell me that they hope I don’t feel temporary, so I feel like I really have a home where I'm at,” said Marissa.
Marissa is a big fan of the JEDI IIP. “I don’t think I'd be where I am without it,” said Marissa. Her advice for future interns is, “make sure you are happy where you are. Since it’s such a great opportunity, pick something [a career] that you might want to stick with. I'm really happy I got a great first go. It’s a really great opportunity, make the most of it.”