Fowler Scholars: A Bedrock for Growth in Business

The Fowler Scholars Program was created to educate and prepare a select group of Fowler College of Business students for accelerated and lasting leadership roles in global business and society. Each year, the college selects several freshmen who graduated from San Diego area high schools to become Fowler Scholars. Students selected for the program have demonstrated leadership, ethical conduct, exceptional academic and collaborative abilities. 

Faith Goh, a junior majoring in accounting and minoring in interdisciplinary studies, is a Class of 2022 Fowler Scholar. Goh has been involved in several on-campus organizations, including: Student Accounting Society, where she was the vice president of communications and on the Internal Audit Committee; Students Against Human Trafficking, where she served as treasurer and graphics officer; and an intern with Brightside Produce. 

The SDSU News Team chatted with Goh to learn more about her college experience and what being a Fowler scholar means to her.

What does it mean to you to be a Fowler Scholar? 

Being a Fowler Scholar is the bedrock of who I have become and will continue to grow into until I graduate. Instead of focusing on this semester, or next semester, this program has made me envision who I want to become even beyond college as I establish my career and even beyond that. Having a long-term perspective makes my every action more thoughtful and goal-oriented. Being a Fowler Scholar means growth and development — in every meeting, we are presented with challenging topics with questions that may not have answers, similar to how the “real world” is. Being a Fowler Scholar is not what I am now — but who I aspire to and will be in the future."

Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to pursue accounting as an area of study?

I like to say business has always been in my blood — my paternal grandparents, who moved to Singapore from Malaysia with truly nothing but the shirts on their backs, built a life for themselves from scratch. On my mother’s side, my grandparents ran a dessert shop that still successfully stands today. Business was their way of life, and I chose to pursue a career in business because creativity, hard work, and a strong drive are necessary to thrive.

Accounting, often known as the language of business, stands as its backbone, and I wanted to understand every transaction, line in financial statements, and ultimately, what makes businesses run. 

What experience in the Fowler Scholars Program has been the most impactful?

The most impactful experience was meeting Jim Sinegal, founder of Costco. His principles, obeying the law, protecting customers and employees, and respecting suppliers, which ultimately rewards the shareholders, framed for me what I believe to be the ideal culture at a business. His emphasis on building relationships with not only shareholders, but also stakeholders, being transparent, and sticking to one’s values are all attributes I aspire to. 

Who inspires you and why?

I am greatly inspired by my parents, who grew up with nothing, but ended with everything by successfully immigrating from Singapore to the U.S. to build a life for themselves. They taught me that perseverance can truly lead to great things, and I have sought to embody these values through her time here. SDSU has greatly impacted me to think how I can serve the community, and I now believe time is best spent serving others rather than focusing solely on oneself.

What is the best advice you have received during your time at SDSU?

The best advice I received was “a failure is not a failure unless you haven’t learned from a mistake.” I often get so caught up in the mistakes I made, and focus too much on them instead of learning and growing from them. I have become a much more forgiving person towards myself since then and realize what is important isn’t perfection, but learning.

What career aspirations do you have following your time at SDSU?

I would like to specialize in the nonprofit industry as an auditor working at a public accounting firm. Learning how nonprofits function and supporting that are my current goal.