Make room, McGladrey & Pullen. The hottest names in accounting could soon be Eklund, Polillo & Stansell.

That firm would be established if Monmouth College seniors Kari Eklund, Amy Polillo and Ashley Stansell continue their trend of doing things together. It all started in nearby Knoxville 15 years ago when the trio met in first grade. They have been together for the most part ever since, graduating from Knoxville High School in 2004 and, in just a few short weeks, from Monmouth College.

Location hasn’t been their only common bond. They all have fond memories of Knoxville High School teacher Lynne West and, at Monmouth, they have come to appreciate the accounting instruction of husband-and-wife faculty members Frank Gersich and Judy Peterson. None of the three entered Monmouth as accounting majors, but they all added the academic emphasis to their studies in business or, in Stansell’s case, mathematics.

“I’ve always loved numbers, and I found accounting to be really interesting,” said Stansell, who is majoring in math and accounting with a minor in business. “The professors are great. Judy convinced us all to switch over to accounting for part of our studies.”

“These women were outstanding in their high school and they have been outstanding here at Monmouth College,” praised Peterson.

All three have served as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance workers, with Polillo actually working during back-to-back tax seasons in 2007 and 2008.

Eklund received the Wall Street Journal Award at this year's Honors Convocation.

At the college’s honors convocation last month, they all walked across the stage to receive prizes, including the prestigious Wall Street Journal Award, chosen by MC’s accounting, business, economics and international business faculty, which went to Eklund.

Eklund’s award has a 60-year history with the Wall Street Journal, dating back to 1948. She will receive a commemorative award medallion and a one-year subscription to the Wall Street Journal, and her name will be published in the financial newspaper at a future date along with the other award winners.

Polillo received the Wallace H. and Dorothy Rifenbark Speer Memorial Prize in Business for outstanding work in business administration, while Stansell earned the Paul Cramer Prize for outstanding work in mathematics. Eklund also won the John Clay Bruner Economics Writing Contest.

Going back to their high school days, Polillo was the first of the three to choose Monmouth.

“When I visited, I knew I’d feel comfortable here,” she said. “I really liked the small class sizes.

Her friends, however, didn’t immediately follow suit. Stansell waited until late in her senior year before choosing MC, while Eklund actually enrolled at the University of Iowa and attended for a brief time before joining her KHS classmates at Monmouth.

Looking back, they are all pleased with their decision because, looking ahead, they have positions waiting for them at Deere and Co. (Eklund and Stansell) and State Farm (Polillo).

Eklund and Stansell will be part of Deere’s Financial Development Program, which gives new employees an opportunity to work two or three “rotations” at different positions, with each rotation lasting 12-18 months.

“When it’s done, you can post out into whatever position you want,” said Stansell.

Eklund will be working in Moline to start out, while Stansell is still waiting for her location. Polillo’s position is at State Farm’s headquarters in Bloomington.

As they looked back on their MC careers for one of the final times as students, Eklund said she appreciated the increased opportunities to be involved that Monmouth College offers. Stansell appreciated the opportunities to improve her social skills through such avenues as interaction in smaller classes, while Polillo feels she’ll be leaving campus as a more well-rounded person with a well-rounded education.

Besides Gersich and Peterson, Polillo said that Ken McMillan, associate professor of political economy and commerce, also had a profound effect on her education.

“He was a major influence in my career at Monmouth and gave me the confidence and motivation to succeed within the business department,” she said, adding that her first experience with McMillan came when he was her “Introduction to Liberal Arts” professor in the fall of 2004.

Eklund added, “Professor (Mike) Connell helped guide me through a lot of issues and hurdles during my first two years at Monmouth and always pushed me to achieve anything and everything. He also recognized the efforts I put forth in achieving those goals and aspirations.”

Stansell appreciated the help she received from associate professor of mathematics Howard Dwyer.

“He had a great impact on me during my time at Monmouth,” she said. “He is a great professor and has been an extremely helpful adviser. He was always willing to help and he put up with me while I was changing majors. His support, along with Frank and Judy’s, helped me accomplish a lot here.”