Imon T. Govan: Does Superwoman Do Taxes?

In February of 2021, I began an internship at Manley Garvin, a tax firm located in Greenwood, SC. Before I began working, I felt confident that I could knock out any task they could have given me, and nothing could stand in my way.

On the first day of my internship, I realized that I would be working on individual tax returns with the software UltraTax. Before starting, I did not know much about individual taxes because I took my accounting courses in reverse order. Because of this fact, I needed to learn on the job. On the first day after orientation, I remember picking my first client’s information to begin preparing their return. I assigned myself to the client with ease, opened the tax software, and began sorting the information by form type. I finished the client’s W-2 forms with ease however, the client also earned income from Social Security and owned a farm. I did not know what to do, but I didn’t want to bother anyone, so I decided to figure it out alone. Eventually, the answers came to me as I used a partial guide and maneuvered through the software. I finished the return and went to grab another before one of the other interns asked me if I was staying overtime. Confused, I looked at the time. Realizing that it was time to go, and I had spent 3 hours on a simple return, I told him “No,” packed up, and went home. I believed that my first day was awful, but it gave me a starting point to work from, and I believed that I could become more efficient over time.

With that belief and determination, I create a system that I believe would help me—sorting the relevant documents, researching necessary information, printing and writing down my findings, and documenting the information by paper and electronically simultaneously. After documenting the information, I checked it for accuracy by making sure the numbers matched and comparing the return to a prior year. If I believed that everything was correct, I submitted the tax documents to my supervisor. As I implemented the system, I began working faster with fewer issues. On Monday of week two, I began completing some tax returns within 15-20 minutes. I was super excited about my progress at work and believed that I could eventually work as quickly as the more experienced interns by the end of that week.

During this same week, however, I found an interest flyer for a sorority that I’d been interested in since I arrived at college. I felt like I won the lottery when I found it, as this was the first time I met the requirements for the sorority and was able to attempt joining. After the enthusiasm passed, I worried for a moment. I knew that may not have the time to join because, besides my internship, I was also taking 18 credit hours at school, earning a paralegal certification, and working another job. I could not dismiss any of my courses because I needed them for graduation, and I believed that the paralegal certification was as important as my schoolwork. Also, I knew that I wanted to continue my other job until graduation because it allowed me time to complete other tasks such as doing homework while earning money. To me, the best option was to either resign from my position at my internship or not join the sorority that school term.  

This dilemma gave me tons of pressure because I did not know what to do. I was just getting my footing during my internship and was learning tons. Also, I knew that my internship would help me if I decided to pursue a CPA license. At the same time, I knew that the sorority would benefit me long term due to connections and potential opportunities. Besides potential long-term professional benefits, the sorority would also give me a lifetime of sisterhood and support from like-minded women. I knew that I wanted to join, and I did not know when the next opportunity would come, because this was the first opportunity I had in three years. With those thoughts in mind, I decided to apply to the sorority and continue my internship – removing the dilemma. I believed that if I got accepted into the sorority, I could complete everything successfully although it may be challenging.

I was accepted and the challenge began.

Before I began joining, my daily schedule was busy from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, creating a need for me to study at night. However, after adding more to my schedule, I did not have enough time to do anything – I could not eat nor relax, and I barely had enough time to sleep at night. Between the paralegal course and the sorority, I was learning new information every day for large amounts of time after 5:00, which left little time for homework. Because I did not have time for nearly anything, I decided to push my bedtime back and rework my schedule. My new schedule worked until the end of the semester; however, it was hell. I needed to change my bedtime to later than I was used to, and attempted to work everything else out. I used this schedule until the end of the semester, and it worked – but it was not enjoyable at all. I did not take time for myself during much of this semester nor enjoy my accomplishments. I also did not have time to do anything I enjoyed, like participating in community service or events for organizations that I was a part of or hanging with my friends. There were times when I felt like I couldn’t finish anything, but I was able to pass all my classes, complete the internship and certification, and join my sorority.

This situation reminded me that I am not a superwoman, and my plate can be overfilled. I could have handled the situation better but while reflecting on my experience at Manley Garvin, I know that I would not trade it for any other experience. Although it was stressful to complete from time to time and hard to manage, I learned a lot and am satisfied with the outcome.

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Imon T. Govan is a graduating senior from Orangeburg, SC, majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting and Political Science with a minor in Pre-Law. While attending Lander, she has served as a career peer mentor and intern for the Office of General Counsel. Also, Govan served as president of the Lambda Lambda Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., president of Visions of Women, liaison officer for the Black Student Union, treasurer for Political Science Association, and more. After graduation, she plans to continue her education at Howard University School of Law (HUSL).