Investing in the Future

Isa Farhat ’96 started college wanting to be an architect. But, as a mild recession prompted a housing construction slowdown in the 90s, he switched his major to accounting, seeking a more stable profession. That decision led him down the path to becoming a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP in their Audit & Assurance business.

He credits Smith and then-Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies Joe Mattingly for helping to set him up for success. “He took a chance on me, scheduling a semester’s worth of accounting classes for me to take to see how I would do—and here I am.”

The first person in his family to attend college, Farhat was in his senior year when his mother became seriously ill. “I took fewer credits, took some classes over the summer so that I could keep pace, and ratcheted down my social schedule. I needed to focus on her.”

After his mother passed, Farhat began exploring what was out there for him. “That’s when I found Deloitte.” He left Deloitte briefly and worked with the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2004 to 2006 before returning. He also served in the Navy Reserve for eight years. “The terrorist attacks of 2001 hit me extremely hard, and I felt like I needed to do something to serve my country.”

Now, Farhat serves on the Dean’s Board of Advisors and the Accounting & Information Assurance Advisory Council at Smith. He’s also the primary liaison to the University of Maryland in support of the implementation of the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program. It supports students pursuing a master’s in accounting, so they can earn the extra credits needed to become Certified Public Accountants.

“It’s important for me to give back to those who invested so much in me,” Farhat said.