We are humbled each year by the caring nature our people display through their Pursue Your Passion projects, and we look forward to hearing our winners’ stories as they complete their activities throughout the year.
Doug Opheim, Pursue Your Passion executive sponsor and partner
2016 marked the 90th anniversary of RSM serving middle market business leaders. In recognition of our clients, employees and friends who have contributed to our firm’s success, we celebrated this significant milestone in our firm’s history by creating our Pursue Your Passion program. It was so successful, we have continued the program each year since.
Meet our 2025 Pursue Your Passion winners
Fulfill her dream of building a shop for her aunt, combining passion with family.
Helping my aunt start a small sweet bread shop is a deeply personal mission that provides her with independence and ensures a more stable environment for my cousin, who requires constant care, and allows me to support them more effectively, fulfilling my commitment to supporting my family.
Gabriela Escobar, financial consulting manager, San Salvador
Embark on an epic journey to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
Reigniting a lifelong dream of walking across the country alongside my wife. Hoping to unlock personal capABILITIES that inspire the community of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to pursue their passions.
Jason St Pierre, assurance associate, Irvine, CA
Preserve Filipino music and heritage, sharing cultural richness with the community.
This opportunity allows me to preserve and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of where my family came from in northern Philippines. By documenting our music and traditions, I hope to connect our community across generations and share our story with the world. I am incredibly grateful for the support to pursue this passion and make a lasting impact on preserving our identity and history.
Jeddah Dapapa, tax manager, Toronto
Transform his passion for baking into a thriving home bakery.
Throughout human history bread has remained as a staple of our diet, and at times bread has literally been the difference between life and death. A fresh loaf warms the soul and many a family has been repaired over a good meal. With my home bakery I will extend this gift to many people in my community.
Joe Bailey, CATT manager, Portland, OR
Combine her love for photography with supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Photography has always been a passion of mine. Having the opportunity to use it to lift up kids who face life-threatening illnesses every day, is a dream come true. Pursue Your Passion will give me the means to bring some fun, joy and normalcy to their lives. This empowering photoshoot experience allows a kid to be a kid. It’s one small way I can bring a smile to a child’s face … and that will stay with me the rest of my life.
Kristy Rucker, communications director, Cincinnati, OH
Launch a financial literacy program to empower communities.
This project has been a transformative journey, blending my passion for financial literacy with RSM's support to make a meaningful impact. It reflects how purpose and dedication can drive extraordinary results.
Manav Chugh, assurance associate, Gurugram
Document family history, creating a legacy for future generations.
As I become older, I have felt a growing distance to my cultural heritage and developed a desire to deepen my knowledge of my family history and of Osaki-Kamijima, the small island in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan that my ancestors have called home for centuries. This project will allow me to reconnect with my roots and preserve the history, love and culture of my family and the island for myself and future generations.
Momoko O'Leary, paralegal, Chicago, IL
Organize a wellness retreat to rejuvenate mind and body for women in her community.
Creating this experience is more than a passion, it's my mission to provide women with a transformative space to heal, grow and reconnect with their true selves. I know firsthand how life-changing this journey can be, and this is making it accessible to those who need it most.
Nicole Cox, consulting manager, Kansas City, KS
Chase aviation dreams through advanced flying lessons.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passion for aviation and gain advanced certifications while flying in Alaska's challenging environments. This experience will make me a safer, more skilled pilot and prepare me to volunteer in programs that transport patients to vital medical appointments, combining my love for flying with helping others.
Oleg Glubochansky, consulting director, Seattle, WA
Dive deeper into her photography passion by capturing the essence of the western lifestyle through a new and immersive experience.
Embarking on this journey fills me with immense gratitude. It allows me to pursue multiple meaningful passions, blending my love for photography with my deep affection for wildlife and wild horses. Even more special is the chance to give back to a refuge that supports our wild horse community in Eastern North Carolina—a place that provides solace and peace for anyone that visits. This opportunity feels like a once-in-a-lifetime blessing, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Sheridan King, national recruiting director, Raleigh, NC
SWIPE TO VIEW
0 min. read
Meet our past winners:
Hank Cary, locations services manager, Denver, CO
Pursue his passion of becoming a D1 college football referee.
Marisa Gelsomino, assurance senior manager, Toronto, Canada
Take the trip of a lifetime with her family at an abilities inclusive resort.
Jon Hawkins, enterprise risk manager, Atlanta, GA
Complete his dreams of becoming a helicopter pilot.
Ashley Hendrickson, TA lead, Minneapolis, MN
Follow her life-long passion of traveling to England for an Anne Boleyn tour.
Aleksandra LaBossiere, tax manager, New York, NY
Explore the cosmic wilderness of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
Joseph Olalusi, consulting senior associate, Chicago, IL
Support local community through community gardens.
Heather Sikora, CPC lead, Minneapolis, MN
Complete training at one of the top embroidery schools in London.
Sanjay Thakur, solutions architecture director, Washington, D.C.
Pursue his dream of creating his own woodworking shop.
Tamra Walker, executive assistant manager, Dallas, TX
Bring her passion to her local community through a Pilates certification.
Aisha Azhar, digital marketing senior associate, Toronto, Ontario
Help others through the completion of her trauma-sensitive yoga certification.
Mohamed Elsafty, North American Service Center senior associate, Clearwater, FL
Follow his dreams of becoming an Olympic wind surfer.
Robert Lindley, IT portfolio leader, San Antonio, TX
Pursue his passion of living a more sustainable life for himself and his family.
Allison Merriam, tax manager, Kansas City, MO
Purchase a new chair to fulfill her goal of competing at the next level of wheelchair rugby.
Dan Roth, senior systems engineer, Detroit, MI
Provide support to Hungarian children through a mission trip.
Muhammad Safwan, tax manager, Houston, TX
Take part in relief efforts to Pakistanis in the areas of medical support, revenue streams, shelter and food.
Wesley Sweigart, assurance supervisor, Charlotte, NC
Finish his life-long goal of having an in-home music studio.
Amanda VanOpdorp, enterprise business architect, Davenport, IA
Pursue her dreams of writing a book and becoming a published author.
Rahul Vithani, risk consulting senior associate, Chicago, IL
Complete billiard training to pursue his passion to compete.
Brad Sawyer, consulting senior associate, Gaithersburg, MD
Brad will pursue his dreams by making a summit attempt on Mount Rainer.
Casey McGuire, innovation senior associate, Minneapolis, MN
In honor of her friend, Cassie, Casey will fund her Susan G. Komen three-day team walk in San Diego.
Echa Odea, consulting senior associate, Toronto, Canada
Echa will support a medical clinic in Agidegbe, Nigeria by installing solar power.
Jeremy Harty, assurance senior associate, Calgary, Alberta
Jeremy will follow his dreams of curling by using the funds and additional days off to support his goals and his team.
Leslie Hampton, office administrator, Oklahoma City, OK
Leslie will travel across the country pursing her geocaching (a type of global treasure hunt) with her daughter.
Misty Pleiness, consulting director, Detroit, MI
Misty plans to open a therapeutic horse-care and riding program for physically and mentally handicapped children, young adults and veterans.
Shelly Lealos-Yates, consulting supervisor, San Francisco, CA
Shelly will help women become happy and whole by expanding her nonprofit organization which supports those who have been in abusive relationships.
Susan Birke, senior scheduler, San Antonio, TX
Susan will help improve facilities at Charming Pet Rescue to create better living conditions for rescue animals.
Valentina Deriabina, tax supervisor, Gaithersburg, MD
Valentina will continue her support of Helping Village Libraries of the Russian North by sending books to libraries in rural Russian villages.
Christopher Brophey, tax manager, Milwaukee, WI
Now that his body has healed from cancer, create lasting memories with his young son and wife during a trip to England.
Marie-Annette Donaghue, manager, North American pursuit and proposal team, Dallas, TX
Make a return trip to Kenya to help children at a small orphanage explore the beauty of a nearby national park and provide support to bolster the orphanage’s self-sufficiency.
Alyssa Lavelle, resource manager, New York, NY
Honor her mother’s memory by continuing to raise funds and awareness for colon cancer, and establish an independent foundation in her mother’s name.
Josh Milazzo, audit assurance supervisor, Jacksonville, FL
Ride the Pacific Coast Highway with his dad in remembrance of the life and service his younger brother gave to God, the country and their family.
Alma Padilla, tax manager, Houston, TX
Purchase gifts and necessities for two organizations to pay forward kindnesses afforded to her family when her daughter was receiving treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Joshua Scott, tax senior associate, Kansas City, MO
Create a documentary film that shares the stories of people struggling with income inequality and homelessness to enhance understanding around these issues.
Joshua Sweeting, audit manager, Denver, CO
Finally meet Ruben, a Bolivian teen he has sponsored for several years through Compassion International, and sponsor a second child in the program.
Julio Trejo, tax associate, Las Vegas, NV
Continue his health journey by training to run a marathon, and help others by raising funds to fight childhood obesity.
Ryan Weitz, audit assurance supervisor, Boston, MA
Combine his love of exploring nature, photography and giving back by backpacking through Alaska’s Arrigetch Peaks and donating his photography sales proceeds to RSM’s Birdies Fore Love program.
Barbara Adler, tax manager, Tallas, TX
Make improvements to her impoverished small town’s food pantry and enhance the area’s farmers market.
Nick Crombie, senior associate, Raleigh, VA
Expand his knowledge around augmented reality and create apps that teach kids about self-confidence, teamwork and caring for others.
Lucrecia Gray, manager, San Antonio, TX
Create and donate quilts to Quilts of Valor and offer sewing classes to keep quilting relevant with a new generation.
Alissa Hatch, manager, San Antonio, TX
Take training courses to further develop leadership skills and create stronger bonds among members of her Cub Scout pack.
Kelly A. Hughes, finance manager, Davenport, IA
Keep a promise to her son to attend his football games, even when he travels with his college team to play in Ireland.
Celeste McGahn, project management senior associate, Boston, MA
Take yoga teacher training and then volunteer to provide classes to help herself and others afflicted with scoliosis.
Brittney Royale, associate, Schaumburg, IL
Establish a fund to help her nephew who was born without a left forearm and pay prosthetics bills for other children.
Mary Theo, Alliance talent leader, Boston, MA
Publish and distribute a children’s book featuring her grandson and his favorite stuffed animal that will provide joy to sick children.
Eileen Turkot, international manager, Chicago, IL
Transform a spare room at her family’s home into a welcoming bedroom for foster children.
Matt Dollard, director, Great Lakes Region
Pursue his life-long passion of creating hand-made furniture by studying alongside a master in a chair making class to acquire new skills and pass along his knowledge to others.
Chris Guido, manager, Northeast Region
Assist his local elementary school in advancing a new focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by helping to set up a designated space for children to solve problems, invent and be creative.
Joy Hermann, manager, Northeast Region
Participate in a mission trip with Living Water International to bring clean water to people in need in Honduras and teach proper sanitation techniques to build a sustainable future.
Mary Clare Kaiser, associate, Central Region
Provide her uncle, who was recently diagnosed with ALS, with a speech-generating device so he can better communicate with his family as well as raise funds for local care services through “Walk to Beat ALS.”
Andrew Leonard, senior director, Central Region
Travel to a developing country to meet one of the many underprivileged children he has sponsored over the years and provide additional funds for the child and others in the area.
Megan Reishus, associate, Central Region
Continue to pursue her passion for playing handbells by purchasing equipment for her ensemble and helping the team share the music of the instrument that they love with others.
Amanda Brown
Volunteer at The Bailey House and/or the Ronald McDonald House, facilities that provide respite to family members of hospitalized patients, and purchase “wish list” supplies.
Jay Brown
Bolster America’s talent pool by sparking interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by capitalizing on the Aug. 21, 2017 total solar eclipse – the first in the contiguous United States since 1979 – through virtual reality, live streaming and in-personal educational experiences.
Sarah Greyer
Hike Mt. Everest, donating $1 for every meter of altitude hiked to a nonprofit organization in Nepal to help with earthquake recovery efforts.
Patti Leonard
Establish the Sparky Foundation to help provide medical care for animals in need, and to rescue and rehome animals in high-risk shelters.
Kyle McNamara
Complete construction of a shelter in the Philippines to keep residents safe during typhoons and other natural disasters, and install a well in a local village to provide water to villagers.
Danielle Montes
Take quilting classes to fine-tune skills to make and donate 24 quilts and 50 receiving blankets to Threads of Love, a nonprofit focused on premature babies; Setton Home, an organization that teaches parenting and life skills to teenage mothers; and Quilts for Kids, which focuses on children with lift-threatening illnesses, children of abuse and children living at or below the poverty level.
Shelley Moreno
Provide travel packages and professional makeovers for seven breast cancer survivors for the 2017 Breast Cancer Thrives Cruise.
Hunter Pearson
Help his grandfather live his dream of returning to Normandy, to revisit life-changing experiences he had during World War II.
Nathaniel Rubin
Provide scholarships and medical supplies to enable five children to attend Camp Kudzu, a Georgia-based nonprofit that provides overnight camps and programs to children with Type-1 diabetes.
Jacqueline Pacquette
Keep a promise to pay it forward by providing a new smile to someone in need.
Michelle Nolan
Provide water to orphans in Africa while also achieving a personal goal to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Julie Kaehler
Purchase land for a school and community garden in Haiti while also teaching sustainable farming.
Dee Komaromi
Open a school in Africa dedicated to her late father and father-in-law through Pencils of Promise.
Nyasha Gopo
Become a certified coach to help immigrants assimilate to life in America.
David Campbell
Provide renewable, efficient energy to homes and businesses in sub-Saharan Africa.
Terri Andrews
Provide mammograms and counseling based on personal experience to women facing breast cancer in Jamaica.
Nicole Knudtson
Publish a children's book to help families connect and understand each other better.
Jarin Hansen
Serve as a healing home to a Chinese orphan undergoing a life-changing surgery.
How can we help you achieve your professional goals?
At RSM, we work every day to promote a transparent, caring and authentic environment that fosters meaningful connections, and to create an equitable and inclusive firm where diverse talent excels.
We empower you to personalize your development opportunities and encourage you to take an active role in enriching your RSM experience. We strive to ensure everyone feels included, diverse perspectives are valued and everyone has a chance to grow a vibrant career at RSM.
