Second-Generation Aztec Carries on the SDSU Legacy

Connor Ferrell with other members of the SDSU chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (Ferrell is on the far left).

As a kid growing up in San Diego, Connor Ferrell had dreams of playing in the major leagues. As a high school student, Ferrell made the varsity team as a freshman and his dreams of MLB stardom seemed like a real possibility. 

His dreams came crashing down a year after graduation when he got some bad news. “After my fifth knee surgery in 2018, my surgeon advised me to hang up the cleats and pursue other paths in life,” said Ferrell. “It was an extremely difficult realization then and I felt that I’d hit rock bottom since baseball was my entire existence up to that point.” 

Ferrell is a second-generation Aztec with both parents graduating from SDSU (mom in ’87 and dad in ’78)

Ferrell was attending a local community college at the time and was unsure about how to move forward. “I have my mother to thank for helping me stay positive in seeing the glass half-full and convincing me to view this as an opportunity to rebuild myself into something new,” he said. “I figured a career in business would be intrinsically rewarding and would provide me the same team feeling from my baseball playing days.”

After earning his associate’s degree in business administration and economics, Ferrell enrolled at the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University as an accounting major. “The prestige and reputation of the Fowler College of Business and the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy were major draws to me,” he said. “I chose to major in accounting because I love the technical background it provides and the logical nature that comes with the subject.”

Ferrell said his favorite SDSU faculty member is Paul Sager: “He is the ultimate role model professionally and personally. He was the first teacher who really believed in me.”

His time as a tutor will come to an end soon as Ferrell completes his bachelor’s degree in December 2020. He has accepted a position as an assurance associate at the San Diego office of PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) that will start in the fall of 2021. Until then, he will be completing a few extra courses at a community college to get the 150 semester credits necessary for CPA eligibility as he looks forward to sitting for the California state CPA exams. Once he enrolled at the Fowler College of Business, Ferrell became involved with campus activities and was almost immediately voted into the role of vice president of professional development for the SDSU chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), a nationally-based honor society for accounting, finance, and information systems students. After his tenure as a BAP officer concluded in May of 2020, he became a tutor for his fellow accounting students, which he has found to be extremely rewarding. “Being an accounting tutor in the current COVID-19 environment has been a phenomenal experience,” he said. “I am a firm believer that we all rise by lifting others. Thus, I wanted to make a difference in the next generation of Fowler students by teaching the fundamentals of accounting.”

Ferrell has accepted a position at the San Diego office of PwC which will start in the fall of 2021.

While he’s in between classes, Ferrell plans to indulge his passion for sports by squeezing in a few rounds of golf. “Golf has provided great balance and a much-needed haven to relax with my business classmates from SDSU,” he said. “I also love to follow SDSU sports, especially our men’s basketball team. Last season was a dream to witness and it makes me proud to be an Aztec.”