Long before the pandemic, before so many used a year of near-isolation to examine life choices and perhaps even set personal goals, Colby Jensen took a holistic look at her own life and the person she was striving to become.
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The 33-year-old said the past three years have been transformative in many aspects, due in large part to time spent on introspection: her career, her community work, even her husband and their son.
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“It happens for everyone at a different age,” Jensen said. “At some point you just realize what’s important in your life. You cut out the noise. I want to be me, I want to be happy, and I just want to enjoy my life.”
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The kind of happiness of which Jensen speaks—and for which so many other young professionals strive—can seem daunting. A promising career, a stable job, a supportive family and network of friends, enough income not to worry. Such facets of success rarely happen by accident.
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Jensen met her husband in middle school. The two remained friends as Millard West High School students, but didn’t discover that special spark until college.
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After her junior year at Millard West, following treatment and surgery for a severe case of scoliosis, Jensen strongly considered physical therapy as a career. She began general education classes at Iowa Western Community College as a pre-med major. The physical therapists she saw at Children’s Hospital were nothing short of inspiring.
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But as more research into the coursework took place, Jensen made a decision: “I loved the work, but I knew my heart wasn’t in it.”
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She transferred to Metropolitan Community College in 2007 and began working toward a business degree. Graduation from Metro and a transfer to University of Nebraska at Omaha followed, where in 2012 she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. While at UNO, Jensen was active in Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor society for students studying finance.
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In 2009, Jensen joined Gottsch Enterprises as an accounting assistant. Three years later, with a degree and real-world work experience, she was hired as an audit senior manager at BKD. Shortly after, Jensen began the year-long process of studying for, and taking, the CPA exam. Earning a CPA license was a longtime goal not only for Jensen, but her family.
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“We wanted to make sure everything we did set us up for success later in life,” Jensen said. “And that would provide great opportunities for our son.”
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Jensen credits her husband’s support for much of her success. Juggling school and work, studying for a career-making exam, and more while raising a child is no easy feat.
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“There was a lot of times I was missing out,” Jensen said of family gatherings and other social outings. “But for me, things became clearer. Here are my priorities, here is my focus.”
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Goal-setting is a trait BKD recognizes in Jensen. Director Amy Shreck admires Jensen’s ability to “focus on setting and achieving goals on both a personal and professional level. She balances that focus on results with a genuine desire to build connections with people around her.”
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Added Chris Lindner, a partner at BKD: “Colby is such a hardworking and driven individual. She sets lofty goals, but always finds a way to achieve them through her grit and determination. She is such a positive and charismatic individual; everyone wants to be around her.”
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One of the perks of Jensen’s job at BKD is mentoring college students. Many share her passion and drive; many more worry about their future.
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“We can see the end goal, but there are 500 different ways to get there. You might just have to slow down and change your path,” she said. “And that’s OK.”
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Visit bkd.com for more information.
This article originally appeared in the August/September issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.