Leading with Impact: Chelsea Jackson

by Valerie Figueroa

From the first day she set foot on Texas State University's vibrant campus, Chelsea Jackson knew she had found her place.

"Once I went to new student orientation — because I'd never seen Texas State — I really liked the culture, the people, the scenery," the Houston native warmly recalls. "The distance from home to here also worked for me."

Graduating cum laude with a BBA in accounting in May 2025, she took the summer off before starting the master of accountancy program at the university's McCoy College of Business in August ('27).  

During her time at Texas State, she has built an impressive resume while staying engaged with the community. She has held numerous leadership roles, including serving as the former president of the university's National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) chapter. Jackson also completed two audit internships at Deloitte and an accounting services internship at Calvetti Ferguson, earned the university's Leadership in Action Award, and accepted a summer 2026 financial analyst internship with Amazon in Seattle. She also serves as a graduate student ambassador for the Texas Society of CPAs at Texas State.

Her decision to attend Texas State after graduating from Shadow Creek High School in 2022 was financially motivated. She started college in the fall of 2022, arriving with her associate's degree, eager to learn more about accounting.

"Texas State ended up giving me more aid than my other options, and that was really important to me," she says. "I wanted to be an accounting major because I'm really focused on financial literacy."

While at McCoy College, she has found a supportive community of staff and faculty who deeply care about students, guiding them through complex course material and beneficial programs, including scholarships and CPA preparation.

"The accounting department at McCoy College has always been really supportive," she says. "The college and the department have provided many opportunities, including events like Meet the Firms," where students have the opportunity to meet with industry professionals from prestigious accounting firms that often lead to internships and securing full-time roles after graduation.  

"That's helped me grow and be more professional," Jackson says. "The accounting professors have always been welcoming and willing to help me both inside and outside the classroom. If I walk into office hours confused, my professor will take time out of their day. Even professors I did not take personally are willing to help me. I’ve grown professional relationships that have shaped me into the kind of professor I want to be since my goal is to be a professor in the future."

Jackson also works as a student staff member in the McCoy College dean's office, where she has gained an administrative perspective of the student-focused initiatives the college executes.  

"Once I started working at the dean's office, I got another perspective of the college," she says. "I realized all the work that really goes into the student experience. So I think that made me more appreciative of McCoy College."

Reflecting on all the work she has done through her academic journey and her tenure as NABA's president, one event stands out above the others: planning the first NABA Day at Texas State. It was a rigorous test in planning, securing funding, and the organization's collaborative abilities.

"It was a lot of planning and strategizing," she says. "It taught me a lot. We initially ran out of money for the event, so I reached out to the Dean's office and was able to get the additional funding. The support and then the development from planning that event had the most lasting impact on me."

In her role as NABA's president, she focused on fundraising through a sponsorship program, increasing membership after the low numbers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and raising awareness of the organization on campus and beyond.

"I felt it was my mission," she says. "I wanted to make sure the next NABA administration didn't have to worry. I wanted them to come in, have peace of mind to do things easily, and not have to stress the way I did. I wanted to set them up for future success."

Even as a student, Jackson is already making an impact in the accounting field. In her work as a graduate ambassador for the Texas Society of CPAs, her goal is to close the gap between students and the profession.  

She helps students connect with the professional chapter in Austin by organizing casual meetups, sharing information about what the state chapter offers — including scholarships and programs, mock CPA exams, and networking events — and making the organization feel more approachable for students exploring their options in the field. Her efforts enable a mutually beneficial relationship in which students gain access to industry experts and professionals connect with the future workforce.

Through her internships, she has developed a strategy that allows her to explore the Big Four — the largest professional services networks in accounting and consulting, including Deloitte — middle market organizations, and industry accounting, in an effort to better inform her career path. During her time at Deloitte, she learned the value of collaboration and working with cross-functional teams nationwide. In contrast, at Calvetti Ferguson, she worked autonomously on a smaller team, which helped her learn the value of individual work.

Jackson will start her industry internship at Amazon in May of 2026 and travel to Seattle for the summer-long internship. She says she's looking forward to building her skills and learning more about the industry.

The Amazon offer came unexpectedly through a cold application and an interview process that required deep research and preparation on the company's culture and expectations. She's blunt about her surprise at receiving the offer without any connections to the organization. She's also eager to experience a new city and to have the opportunity to build her skills with such a well-known company at virtually no cost to her.  

"The thing I'm most excited about is getting to experience a new city for free," she says.

Jackson's leadership style is rooted in discipline. She describes herself as a highly structured "type-A" person. She plans her calendar in advance, delegates efficiently in her leadership roles, and prioritizes communication. During her time as president of NABA, she planned meetings a semester in advance, ensured the organization's board understood their roles and duties, and made herself available to any member who needed additional guidance or just to stay in touch.

"I'm very assertive," she says, beaming. "Being structured and being able to delegate and communicate really sets my leadership style apart."  

Despite her busy schedule and appearance of always having it together, Jackson has faced unexpected challenges on her path to success. As a freshman, she fell seriously ill and spent months suffering with symptoms that were later determined to be caused by undiagnosed lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects various organs and systems in the body. During the challenging period, Jackson found comfort in her professors' support and flexibility while she managed her illness.

"That's one of the biggest challenges I've ever had because it was hard to navigate the unexpected," she says candidly. "But what I really appreciated about it is that all my professors were understanding and accommodating, and they helped me out. It was just really nice to know that I wasn't alone in that situation."

When asked about her motivation for success, she points to several factors, including financial independence.  

"In all honesty, the bag," she jokes. "I don't want to be broke."

As a recipient of a full-ride scholarship, she says that she is also motivated by accountability to the institution that has invested in her.

"If someone's investing in me, the least I can do is make them proud and do what I need to do," she says. "Having a full ride is one of the biggest blessings. Someone was willing to invest in me and my future. So I should be doing the best of my ability to complete my goals academically."

She says that if she could give her younger self advice, she'd recommend slowing down and enjoying the place and people, not just the outcomes.  

Despite her busy schedule, Jackson finds time to recharge by lighting a candle and watching her favorite sitcoms, disconnecting from school, and going out with friends. She also says she finds comfort and inspiration in her best friend, accounting senior Jessica Martinez-Williams.

"We've been able to go through this journey together since freshman year," she says. "We've done a lot of internships together, and I feel like seeing her accomplish her goals, seeing us work through different things that have happened in life, I would just say she's a huge inspiration for me. It's much easier when you're not doing things alone."

Success means something different to each person and can often be conceptually abstract, but for leaders like Jackson, true success is altruistic.  

"Success to me is what you do for others," she says, emphasizing the power of helping elevate others. “I could have so many accomplishments, but if I'm not helping other people, why does it matter? That's really important to me, giving back to a community that has given to you.” ✯