Get to Know Series: Cheryl Gaffney, Accountant
How much do you really know about your immigration team?
How much do you think you know about your immigration team? Cheryl Gaffney is the Accountant for our firm. Cheryl keeps our office running efficiently and offers critical insights into the management of our firm.
Cheryl Gaffney is the accountant and resident CPA at Bashyam Global Immigration Law Group. She attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Psychology, and then again for her Master’s Degrees in Accounting. She became certified as a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina in 2003.
In continuation of our Get to Know series, we asked Cheryl a few questions. We want you to get to know Cheryl, an integral part of our immigration team.
Here’s what Cheryl has to say:
Where are you from?
I’m kind of from everywhere. My father was in the military, so I moved around a lot before I attended college. I was born on an air force base in California, and I’ve lived in New Jersey, Florida, Japan, New Mexico, South Carolina, and now North Carolina. I guess I can officially call North Carolina home now that I have lived here for 25 years!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I really love traveling. I have been to four continents so far. I enjoy reading novels – my favorites right now are Stephen King, John Grisham, Gilly MacMillan, Gillian Flynn, and Liane Moriarty. I also appreciate a good movie – superheroes, smart comedies, whodunit mysteries, psychological thrillers, and scary ghost stories.
Oh, and I love dogs. Like, LOVE dogs. And really most other animals as well, so I like spending my time around them.
Why did you decide to become an accountant?
Strangely enough, it was my love for psychology and non-profits that led me to accounting. During and after college, I worked for a non-profit organization that assisted individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health disorders. After college, I took a more prominent position in the company as a program manager, and I quickly began to see how important the (small) accounting department was for both the company and the individuals we served. It inspired me to go back to school to get a Masters’ Degree in Accounting, and I guess the rest is history.
What are three things still on your bucket list?
- I still have three continents left to travel to – South America, Antarctica, and Australia.
- I want to visit three specific countries – Norway, Switzerland, and Maldives. Norway for its stunning fjords, Switzerland for its staggering mountains and valleys, and Maldives for its phenomenal view of the ocean and sea life.
- And I want to go back to Ireland to try to trace my family’s ancestry. I managed to retrieve a lot of information from Ancestry.com, but most of it was related to my fifth-great-grandfather who traveled from Ireland to America and his descendants who grew up here. I think it would be interesting to learn about my earlier ancestors who lived in and around Ireland.
What is your favorite vacation spot and why?
My favorite vacation spot is Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman Island. I went for the first time in 2006, and I have been back four more time since then. It is the most beautiful, calm, and relaxing place that I have ever been to during my travels. The local people are so friendly; I met a police officer on my first trip that is now a friend for life. It’s honestly like a home away from home, except with sand and sea and drinks on the beach!
Who do you admire and why?
I admire my mom. She has endured so many hardships in her life, and yet she always remains positive. I also admire our Bashyam Global team. I see their amazing effort and collaboration every day, and their passion and dedication to helping our clients. I am so proud to be a part of this awesome team.
As Cheryl mentioned, she sees and experiences every day the effort it takes to work in immigration law. Immigration law is dynamic within the U.S. and it can be daunting for an individual or a company to try to navigate the U.S. immigration system. Our team at Bashyam Global collaborates daily to provide our clients with an adept immigration strategy to keep them on the right course.
We appreciate Cheryl and the work that she puts in to keep our office operating efficiently every day. Her role helps our attorneys, paralegals, and support staff to continue to be able to provide the expert service to our clients, both on the business immigration side and the family immigration side.
We hope you got to know an important member of our team, Cheryl Gaffney, a little better.
Stay tuned for more on the Get to Know series. We will be introducing a different Bashyam Global team member every month!
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Live long, prosper, and continue to reach beyond borders!