Supportive Relationships and Career Growth: Meet KSM Team Member Hailey Rolsten

Hailey Rolsten always had a love for math and a knack for working with numbers, so a career in accounting seemed like a natural fit. Choosing a firm for her internship was easy, too. “I went to a career fair at Ball State, and KSM stood out the most to me,” Hailey recalls. “It seemed like they were more of a ‘people place’ than a workplace.”

As she met with representatives from different firms, she saw a clear difference between KSM and the competition: The team from KSM appeared to be just as interested in Hailey, the individual, as they were in Hailey, the accountant. “They seemed to want to get to know about me and less about what was on my resume,” she explains. “That made me feel like I wasn’t going to be just a number if I came to KSM; I was going to be an actual person.”

Shortly after beginning her internship at KSM with enthusiasm, Hailey endured a devastating personal loss. “I had unexpectedly lost my dad; it was on a Sunday night,” Hailey remembers. She called her supervisor, who offered caring condolences followed quickly by reassurance. “Immediately it was, ‘Don’t worry. We’ve got it taken care of. Take as much time as you need.’”

When Hailey returned to the office, she was blown away by the condolence cards, thoughtful messages, and emotional support she received from KSM team members at all levels. “I had partners coming up to me and checking in, ‘Hey Hailey, how are you doing?’ And they seemed to really, really care about how I was doing ­­– and it didn’t matter if I was an intern or not.”

The experience made a deep impression on Hailey as she considered her plans for the future. “I thought, ‘You know what, one day if something else like this happens to me, if I work here, I’m going to be well taken care of.’” Today, as a full-time tax manager, she’s confident that she made the right call in choosing KSM for her professional home.

The personal connection she feels within the firm provides solid support for her career growth as well as her emotional wellbeing. “People that I work with really want me to succeed,” Hailey shares. “A lot of the people that I work with have their door open, and I can knock and say, ‘Hey, do you have a few minutes?’ And no matter who you’re working with, they’re always here to help us – because they want their staff to grow.”

Still early in her career, Hailey is eager to keep learning and expanding her professional skill set as well as her personal connections within the accounting field. SURGE, KSM’s young professionals group, helps her do both. “SURGE is a way for all of the young people to come together and get to know each other,” she explains. It’s also a way to learn how to network with people outside of KSM and how to kind of grow yourself professionally.”

Whether it’s through SURGE, other professional development activities, or working alongside other talented people, Hailey believes she is continually growing and feels excited about her long-term career prospects.

I’m excited to grow with my friends and see where my co-workers go in their career. And I know that they’ll help me to succeed.

“I have so much opportunity at KSM,” Hailey says, and she knows the entire team is there for her – and each other – as they look to the future. “I’m excited to grow with my friends and see where my co-workers go in their career, and I know that they’ll help me to succeed. They’ve told me I have potential here, and I believe that because they believe in me, and I believe in myself.”