When recent University of Georgia Master of Accountancy graduate Emily Clark (BBA ’25, BS ’25, MAcc ’26) wasn’t hitting the books during her time at the Terry College of Business, she was hitting the dance floor as a performer and instructor.
Clark was born in Tennessee and spent part of her childhood in Georgia, but was raised primarily in Pennsylvania and considers it her home state, as much of her extended family is there.
She admitted that, growing up, a career in accounting was not her first choice.
“I wasn’t sold on the idea until my dad mentioned opportunities in forensic accounting and using money trails to track down the next Al Capone or stop the next WorldCom,” she said. “My original plan was research in psychology, but once I discovered that I could combine psychology and accounting, I was sold.”
Clark earned undergraduate degrees in accounting and psychology last year. When she wasn’t attending classes, she leaned into another passion.
“Dance has always been a hobby of mine, and once the pandemic struck and my time freed up, I wanted to get back into it,” she said. “I love expression through movement and am always tapping my foot when good music plays.”
Clark decided to focus on ballroom dancing.
“My thought was that it’s the easiest style to begin as an adult,” she explained. “Ballet or contemporary aren’t always beginner-friendly, but ballroom is built to be learned at all ages.”
She joined UGA’s Swing Dance Club and found her way to the university’s Ballroom Performance Group.
“I ran the Swing Dance Club and participated in performances and lessons with the performance group,” she said. “Ballroom dancing became my favorite part of the day.”
Clark says balancing dance with the rigors of the UGA MAcc program also taught her time management skills.
“Ballroom was my outlet from studying for classes or CPA exams,” she said. “It never trumped academic commitments, but it made me more efficient.”
Clark interned with PwC in Philadelphia last summer and accepted a full-time position starting this fall. But she won’t hang up her dancing shoes anytime soon.
“I cannot imagine my life without dance,” she said. “I will tango on Tuesday evenings at a dance studio, West Coast Swing on Wednesdays at a university social and Lindy Hop on Thursdays while finding excuses to drag friends to salsa nights at rooftop restaurants.
“Ballroom dancing is the kind of activity that is easy to maintain late into life,” she added, “and I intend to stick with it as long as I can.”