Alumnus Shane Stopczynski ’05 came to Holy Cross College knowing he wanted to continue his education career, but not knowing where that journey would take him. Like most college students, he set out to find a connection in his classroom studies to help him find a career path.

“I went to Holy Cross not knowing what I wanted to do and took an accounting class with Br. James Leik, C.S.C., and everything clicked,” recalled Stopczynski. “I knew accounting was for me. Unfortunately, Holy Cross didn’t offer an accounting degree, so I enrolled at Indiana University South Bend.”

After obtaining an associate’s degree from Holy Cross College in the spring of 2005, he continued his education track, becoming certified as a certified public accountant (CPA).

“Following graduation with my accounting degree, I started full-time at Kruggel Lawton CPA’s, a regional accounting firm in the South Bend, Indiana, office, and I am still with the firm today,” said Stopczynski.

Impactful moment

“I went to Brother James’ office to get some help with the accounting concepts we were studying in his class, which he helped with, but then we started talking about the history of Holy Cross. It was fascinating to hear his stories and see some of the first financials he prepared in his file cabinet. The history and preservation of that financial information were amazing and told the financial story of Holy Cross,” said Stopczynski.

Journey ahead

“I plan to continue my career at Kruggel Lawton CPA’s,” said Stopczynski. “I enjoy helping clients with a variety of issues they face and building relationships with those clients that go beyond their business.”

Pictured is alumnus Shane Stopczynski.

Photo provided by Shane Stopczynski.