Full Circle

Even before she graduated in May, Kristina Kostovski was ready to take on the world. She’d been asked to speak at Montclair State’s Annual Scholarship Dinner in March, engaging the audience of more than 375 guests. She began preparing for the grueling CPA exam, and best of all, she had already lined up a job at KPMG, after being mentored by accounting alumni who helped her prepare for the interview.

During Kostovski’s four years at the University, the now 21-year-old Garfield, New Jersey, resident was awarded $40,500 in scholarships from multiple sources, including a $3,000 Alumni Pay It Forward Award, given each year to a rising senior majoring in accounting or a student in the MS in Accounting program.

The donors, Frank Colombo and Drew Heimlich, aren’t far removed from their senior year at Montclair State themselves. Both men graduated in 2012 and established the scholarship with matching gifts from their employers in 2015. As part of the scholarship, they offer not only money but mentoring. “When Drew and I were in college, a big part of who we became professionally was driven by who mentored us along the way,” says Colombo, 27, an investment banking associate at RBC Capital Markets. “Montclair State provided a lot for us, and so we try to give back to the students in the same way.”

Heimlich, Colombo and Kostovski have a common mentor: Steven Markoff, an assistant professor in the Feliciano School of Business’ Department of Accounting and Finance.

“I always looked at Markoff as someone who could provide insight into real-world application of the courses,” says Heimlich, 29, an investment banking associate at Guggenheim Securities. Colombo agrees: “He helped prepare me, similar to how we helped prepare Kristina for her interviews, so he was instrumental inside and outside of the classroom.”

Markoff says he encouraged Kostovski to apply for the Alumni Pay It Forward Award because she exemplified all the characteristics they’re looking for: academic excellence, commitment to career, professional development and “most importantly, her understanding of the importance of giving back.”

Kostovski says the personal touch from Colombo and Heimlich proved invaluable. “I could ask them questions regarding my CPA license” and related matters, Kostovski says. “It made the process easier than it would’ve been without their guidance.”

In addition to scholarship aid from the University, corporations and arts organizations, Kostovski financed her education by juggling multiple jobs, including a position at an accounting firm that started as an unpaid internship in high school.

“Drew and I did this because we want the brand of Montclair State University to grow,” Colombo says. “And one way of growing the brand is for other people to get involved in the University and give back. It’s just a circle of education to professional life.”

Heimlich says he and Colombo did not put their names on the scholarship because they hope to add more alumni donors, a desire that is already being realized: “We’re happy to say that the 2018–19 scholarship will be able to award $4,500, thanks to an anonymous graduate.”