Interview of Michael R. Smith

Michael R. Smith is an alumnus of La Salle University, Class of 1982, with a degree in accounting. He was born in 1960 at Nazareth Hospital in the Greater Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up along the Roosevelt Boulevard of Northeast Philadelphia in the Holmes Circle neighborhood. He attended and graduated from Father Judge Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 1978. He decided upon La Salle University and attended La Salle as an accounting major from 1978 to 1982, the latter being his graduation year. Legacy wise, Michael is one of many La Salle graduates in his family, including his father, sister, brother, two uncles, and two cousins. His sister also taught at La Salle University, as well, and she encouraged Michael to attend here especially. Michael commuted to the La Salle campus and was part of the commuter culture at the school, especially with other students from Northeast Philadelphia. Michael participated in intramural swimming and water polo on campus, and he played a lot of pinochle with his campus friends. Academically, his favorite professor was Pete Sweeney in accounting, who taught Michael principled conservative accounting, as well as professional ethics. Michael also did a quasi-internship while at La Salle at Kay Automotive in Philadelphia, where he worked as an accountant. This was his first full-time career job upon graduation. Michael has since gone on to careers in financial and business management, and he applauds the strong La Salle accounting network for alumni throughout the country. Today, he is the father of a 19-year-old daughter at Bloomsburg University, and he lives vicariously through her, encouraging her to take advantage of aspects of college life that he neglected while an undergraduate. Michael currently resides in Morrisville, Pennsylvania