MEDIA, Pa. – Three years after graduating from Penn State, Victor Ficarra (class of 2021) is on his way to becoming a lawyer.
Ficarra started his Penn State journey at Brandywine in 2017, majoring in business with an accounting option and minoring in civic and community engagement and global and international studies. He said he wanted to come to Brandywine because as soon as he stepped on campus, it felt like home.
“I visited the campus three times before I committed, and each time I came here I felt very much at home. I enjoyed talking with the tennis coaches during my recruiting period, I enjoyed talking with faculty and staff during Accepted Students Day presentations, and the Lion Ambassadors who gave me tours were great as well,” he said.
“I just felt very comfortable here, and my family really enjoyed it when we all came to visit together. It’s a happy and warm environment.”
During his time at Brandywine, Ficarra was very involved on campus. He was on the tennis and basketball teams, served as a Lion Ambassador all four years, was a peer tutor, and was part of the Cooper and Schreyer Honors Programs. He was also a mascot during his time in college and studied abroad on three separate occasions. He recalls his campus involvement one of the best parts of his experience at Brandywine.
“It’s hard to pick one isolated favorite memory here because I was involved in so many different pockets during my time at Brandywine, so I can think of a few different memories,” he said.
“I enjoy thinking back to my time with Lion Ambassadors, especially our end-of-year parties. Those were always core memories for me here. I also think back to my time with the tennis and basketball teams. I enjoyed traveling to different areas for big games. I also really enjoyed my study abroad experiences. I was able to travel to Sicily, Malta, Ireland and Thailand. My time studying abroad had an immeasurable positive impact on my college life.”
Upon graduating from Penn State, Ficarra immediately started law school at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. During his time in law school, he interned at Deloitte, an international accounting and business consulting company with an office in Philadelphia. He’ll join the firm full-time in October as an international tax consultant. In addition, he has started his master’s degree in tax law at Georgetown University Law Center.
Ficarra noted he enjoys working for Deloitte in part because of its fast-paced environment.
“I wanted to be in a career that was fast-paced, collaborative and client-focused, in an environment that’s intellectually stimulating. I love that the law is constantly changing with new court cases and statutes,” he said.
“Because every project I’m working on with a client is different, I’m constantly learning new things and being challenged in a way that’s not insurmountable, but at the same time very thought-provoking and rigorous.”
When asked what advice he would give to Penn State students, Ficarra said to get involved early and often.
You can make mistakes; I know I made mistakes as a peer tutor and Lion Ambassador. But there’s a really great structure and support system here to help anyone develop and grow into the professional they want to become.—Victor Ficarra , class of 2021
“Not only did I develop so many professional skills from being a peer tutor and Lion Ambassador, but I also made some of my closest friends. All in all, it made my experience extremely enjoyable. Even if the idea of becoming involved on campus seems daunting, be assured that our campus has an incredibly friendly environment,” he said.
“You can make mistakes; I know I made mistakes as a peer tutor and Lion Ambassador. But there’s a really great structure and support system here to help anyone develop and grow into the professional they want to become.”
