Senior | Accounting
Baylor has been a part of Haylee Abbe’s life for awhile now. Her dad, Rick Abbe, and mom, Suzanne Abbe, both attended Baylor; her mom is currently a senior lecturer in the Accounting department; older sister Heather graduated from Baylor a few years ago; younger sister Hannah is currently a student; and younger brother Hunter might be a future Baylor Bear.
“We’re definitely a Baylor family – born and bred,” she said. “I’ve been coming to games since I was 5 years old, wearing a cheerleader uniform. When I received the opportunity to play basketball for Baylor, I was definitely excited.”
Abbe played on the Lady Bears basketball team her freshman and sophomore year then split her time between studying and campus organizations. She serves as secretary of Beta Alpha Psi, the international honorary organization for financial information students; is a member of Chi Omega sorority; and a member of Baylor Business Women.
Abbe also served as a 2009-2010 CEO (president) of Baylor’s Business Excellence and Scholarship Team (BEST) program, which is an interactive, project-based, strategic management program. During her time in BEST, Abbe had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic (DR) and met with different professionals, conducted case analysis, and worked with social entrepreneurship efforts.
“I really thrive in the team environment, with my sports background, and enjoyed working on the group projects in BEST,” she said. “The experience in the DR definitely opened my eyes to other parts of the world. It made me want to work harder because we have been blessed and doors have been opened to so many opportunities. Our goal was to go over and help others, but really the people impacted us as individuals and as a class.”
During the spring 2010 semester, Abbe traveled overseas again to complete KPMG’s Global Internship Program. She was one of six students nationwide chosen for the spring internship. The 10-week, whirlwind internship included two weeks of training in Dallas with two weeks devoted to an audit client; four weeks in London working on a client project; and one more week of an audit client in Dallas with a final week serving as a volunteer civic week.
“Business is going global in every aspect, not just accounting,” Abbe said. “A lot of firms are moving in that direction, and it’s very beneficial. The fact that firms are putting so much time and resources on global opportunities, even just for interns, says a lot. KPMG has a lot of global clients, and establishing an overseas network base, I think, has helped me gain a more global mindset.”
Abbe has a good idea of what to expect in the future after completing the five-year program to earn her BBA and Master of Accountancy degrees.
I’ve accepted an offer to work for KPMG in Dallas in audit,” she said. “Accounting has been a great major for job placement. It’s nice that I don’t have to worry about searching for a job during my last year so I can focus on my classes and graduating.”