T.A. Talk with Sully Anselmo
Get to know the junior accounting major and marketing minor, who is a ACCT 201 and ACCT 230 T.A.
They lead some of our classes, teach our labs and grade our exams. Teaching assistants, or T.A.s, are undergraduate students who help faculty with course instruction and student learning. While each course may have different requirements, T.A.s apply and interview for open positions much like ones for internships and jobs, with the course instructor to see if they would be a good fit.
Sully Anselmo, a junior from Eureka, Missouri, is an accounting major with a minor in marketing currently serving as a T.A. for ACCT 201 Managerial Accounting and ACCT 230 Intro to the Accounting Profession. Anselmo will be graduating in December 2024, and will be back for the Master of Accounting (MAcc) program in fall 2025.
Anselmo wanted a school that would allow him to grow as a person, and KU had some of the best school spirit he had ever seen. He is now a die-hard Jayhawk and feels that KU has allowed him to grow and develop his identity in ways that would not have been possible if he had stayed closer to home.
What were the steps or process you took to become a T.A.?
I started by figuring out what I wanted to major in. I assumed departments wanted to hire students within the major to work for them, so once I knew accounting was for me, it was natural to take the next steps to become an accounting T.A. To gain experience in education, I then worked as a tutor for KU Athletics for a year. This led to me applying to become a T.A. I had applied to become a grader for ACCT 200 for the Fall ’23 semester but was offered a role as a T.A. for ACCT 230 by Rachel Green and Alee Phillips. This opportunity gave me a job within the accounting department that I’ve loved having. Then, last semester I applied to become a T.A. for ACCT 201 beginning in the Spring ’24 semester, and now I’m fortunate enough to be teaching a lab of my own.
Did you establish a connection with any faculty or people in the academic area to express your interest in becoming a T.A.?
I established relationships with each of my accounting professors that I have had during my time at KU: Rachel Green, Alee Phillips, Kelvie Crabb, Mehmet Kara, Kristin Stack, Josh Arpin and Nate Lundstrom. These are all the faculty members within the accounting department that I have attended advising with, worked for or had a lecture with. The KU School of Business is fortunate to have a faculty as dedicated as the ones in the accounting department.
Do you feel you needed to have any prior teaching or mentoring experience to make you stand out as a candidate?
It 100 percent helps. Being a T.A. means you can convey information in an understandable way for your students. Since I had worked with KU Athletics for a year and tutored students in their accounting classes, I learned how to talk about the material in a way that makes sense to students who are learning all of it for the first time.
Were there specific skill or knowledge areas that you found particularly valuable in your role as a T.A.?
At least for ACCT 201, having a leadership role where I oversee moderating and leading meetings within my business fraternity has helped with conducting my labs. That role has allowed me to develop my public-speaking skills so that I can teach my labs in a more polished manner. It also helps to show a lot of personality to students. If you’re engaged and interested in the material that you are teaching them, it can make them feel better about tackling assignments and coursework that might be more difficult.
Can you offer any advice or tips for students interested in pursuing a T.A. position within the School of Business?
Connect with your faculty. If you want to be a T.A., you’re likely going to be working with people who were your professor at some point in time. It all starts in the classroom. If you are showing up to class but expect to T.A. for it in the future, chances are that professors are looking for students who were a little more dedicated to the course when they took it. Connecting with the current T.A.s in those roles is also incredibly helpful. In a class like ACCT 200 or 201 where there are several T.A.s, everyone needs to be able to mesh well to create a good team environment. With the T.A.s in ACCT 201, we’re all friends, get along super well, and hang out outside of work and it’s a lot of fun!
Did you meet any specific qualifications or levels of experience that you feel helped you be selected as a T.A.?
I tutored for a year with KU Athletics, which gave me great experience with the different types of learning styles students might have. I’ve also been the chancellor of the professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, where I lead our weekly chapters. It’s given me a lot of confidence in my leadership and teaching abilities.
What role did your academic background play in securing this opportunity for you?
It definitely helps being an accounting major. One of the requirements to be an ACCT 201 T.A. is taking ACCT 325 Managerial Accounting II. As soon as I completed that class, I was eligible to interview for the T.A. role.
By Grace Ludes
