Power of Change honoree: Rachel Wojtkun on finding success in your career and at home

By Jessica Salerno-Shumaker, OSCPA senior content manager  

For Rachel Wojtkun, CPA, some of her most special career moments have family at the core.  

“I have two young children,” she said. “And every time I came back to work after having one of my children was a proud moment. And when I come home from work and see how excited my kids are about me working hard it makes me feel wonderful.”  

Wojtkun, an audit senior manager at Grant Thornton, was named a Power of Change honoree at the OSCPA Women, Wealth and Wellness Conference in July 2022. The award salutes individuals who are advocates for women’s initiatives in the workplace and business community, serve as mentors or role models, make a significant impact on their communities and break barriers for other women. 

Learning to integrate family life and career has been a journey, Wojtkun said, and something she has refined over the years. One of her mentors told her not to expect every day to be similarly split among her various responsibilities, as some days certain areas will need more attention than others.  

“That really resonated with me, because when we think about work-life balance, it's this unattainable goal to have every day perfectly balanced between our social life, our work, our kids and everything else we're trying to do,” Wojtkun said.  

She said accepting that some days might be more about work and some days might be about family has allowed her to give herself grace and “be successful going forward.”  

Wojtkun said she hopes to see more women rise to visible leadership positions in the accounting profession and noted the importance of representation.  

“I hope I can impact people whether they’re in accounting or another field that is more dominated by males to show them that they can do anything if they put their mind to it,” Wojtkun said. “We're not going to do it the same way that men did it, but we're going to do it in a way that works for us. And being surrounded by all these different examples of people who have carved the path before us is very humbling.”  

Click here to see the complete list of Power of Change honorees.  

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