From Federal Finance to Public Service: How Asha Givhan Found Her Purpose at Wake Forest SPS

Asha Givhan has spent over a decade in the accounting and finance industry. For the last four and a half years, she’s been at Deloitte supporting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

She has worked in Accounting, Commercial Finance, and now Federal Finance and holds a Secret-level clearance, building a career most people spend years trying to get into. 

But a different calling had always been waiting.

“At my core, I’m a public servant,” Asha said. “My true passion lies in people and developing my community.”

Outside of work, Asha has served on boards for United Way, Urban League, and the National Association of Black Accountants. She’s spent years involved in grassroots efforts around financial literacy and economic empowerment in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, and in Northern Virginia, where she lives now

Translating that conviction into a career required a framework, and Asha realized a Wake Forest University School of Professional Studies (SPS) degree could bridge the gap between passion and policy.

Finding a Program That Matched Her Purpose

Asha’s path to Wake Forest SPS wasn’t a straight line. She started a graduate accounting program at Syracuse and was accepted to a finance master’s at William & Mary, but ultimately passed on both. 

The timing and fit were never quite right. 

When she found the Master of Public Administration (MPA) at Wake Forest SPS, she stopped looking. The program was one of the few fully online, immersive public administration programs available. Asha felt it was a practical option for someone working full-time in federal consulting. The reputation of Wake Forest helped, too.

“Wake Forest is a gem of the South,” she said. “It was a lot more aligned with my personal schedule and financial situation. By halfway through my first class, I thought, ‘this is the best choice I’ve ever made.’”

Discovering New Parts of Herself in the Coursework

Asha didn’t expect her graduate courses to change how she sees herself. Two of them in particular stand out.

“I spent most of my life figuring things out on my own,” she said. “The Equity and Public Policy class opened my eyes to the fact that the playing field is not level. I’ve heard that my whole life, but I didn’t really understand what that meant until that class.”

The course gave Asha a framework for understanding systemic inequity and sparked unexpected conversations. In her cohort, she connected with a classmate from an underprivileged white community whose perspective was entirely new to her.

“As a public administrator, those conversations and that perspective are extremely important,” she said. “I don’t think a traditional program would have given me that same experience.”

The second standout course was Research Methods for Public Administration. She’s kept detailed notes from the entire program and built her capstone around what she learned. 

“I now have the tools necessary to start a company, partner with local organizations, or work for a company that aligns with what I feel is my true purpose,” she said. “Whenever I do start seeking that role, I’m going to follow the blueprints this program has outlined.”

Pursuing a Degree Through Surgeries and a Full-Time Career

The two years Asha spent in the Master of Public Administration program came with challenges. Soon after getting married, she found a fibroid in her uterus, which she had to get removed if she wanted to start a family. 

In the middle of her master’s program and working a full-time job, she completed an IVF cycle and underwent a laparoscopic myomectomy a few months later. She was also striving to maintain a perfect attendance record in her voluntary synchronous sessions and taking no breaks from coursework.

“I almost didn’t share what I was going through with faculty because it was personal,” Asha said. “But I wasn’t expecting the support I got. Wake Forest has been my rock and beacon of hope for any sort of change in my life.”

Through it all and with the support of faculty and staff, Asha took no breaks and is preparing to graduate on May 16th.

“I almost thought about stopping the program, and I now have zero regrets that I didn’t,” she said

Embracing a New Direction

Asha has a front-row seat to what’s happening in the federal government right now, but her MPA degree gives her the policy fluency to be a change maker.

“What I’m seeing with DHS, the Air Force, and the Army has paralleled what I’m learning in the program,” she said. “Wake Forest SPS has been on point with what’s taking place and has helped me understand how to navigate it.”

As she approaches graduation, Asha is thinking carefully about what comes next and how her career will align more closely with her public administration background.

“I know I want to do something more,” Asha said. “This degree has helped me understand how to fulfill what is my true heart’s desire. It has enriched my life in a way I never thought I was lacking.”

Learn more about the Master of Public Administration program at Wake Forest SPS. Request information today.