By: Brian Kleemann
College of DuPage Accountancy Instructor Aisling Lockhart of Downers Grove has been named the Collegewide Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Member for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Lockhart, who represents the Business and Applied Technology Division, was born in Ireland and moved with her family around the globe. She spent nine years in Singapore before coming to the U.S. and then returning to Ireland. When her family suddenly came back to the U.S., she was ready to attend college but unsure of what to do, so she turned to COD.
Having enjoyed an accounting class in high school, she enrolled in a fundamentals of accounting course with Professor Rukshad Patel, and the experience provided direction for both her career and her life.
“Accounting became a way for me to make sense of the world,” she said. “It’s the language of business, which allowed me to take part in any business conversation and opened so many doors for me. I also love puzzles and problem solving, and accounting is often the equivalent of a business puzzle. You figure out how to best approach to a problem and use critical thinking to create solutions. People think accountants are isolated, but it’s actually a very social profession. Every day is different, and we spend most of our time interacting with others, asking questions and working on teams.”
Accounting became a way for me to make sense of the world. It’s the language of business, which allowed me to take part in any business conversation and opened so many doors for me.
Aisling Lockhart
After one year at COD, Lockhart transferred to DePaul University and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. This was followed by a master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin and then earning her CPA license. During her time in college, she interned with Ernst & Young, which became a full-time position after graduation as an auditor.
“It was an exciting and fast-paced environment,” she said. “I would go into companies and investigate whether their financials were fairly presented. I loved getting to see what made companies successful, and I learned so much.”
Lockhart then worked for Treehouse Foods and focused on SEC reporting. This combined accounting with her love for writing, a subject she embraced at DePaul when working as a tutor in the writing center. That experience added to an already-growing desire to teach.
“Because we were always moving when I was younger, the constant thread for me was my teachers,” she said. “When I would get to a new school, I did not know the people or the curriculum. It was isolating and lonely, but my teachers grounded me. They helped me to believe in myself and know that I belonged. When I was tutoring, I felt so excited about helping students to realize their potential, and it was something I wanted to do more of.”
In 2019, Lockhart returned to COD and took Introduction to College Teaching through the Adjunct Faculty Training Institute, after which she began teaching in the Accountancy program and felt she was in the right place.
“Everything finally aligned for me to work with students and teach something I’m passionate about,” she said. “I am always pushing myself to improve and figure out ways to better connect with my students. I love seeing their growth and helping them to achieve their goals.”
Lockhart divides her time between raising her two children and teaching, and she continues to become more involved with the Accountancy program.
“COD means a lot to me and I am so lucky to be part of this community,” she said. “Because I moved around so much, when students come into my class, I know they can be uncomfortable. My hope is they feel welcome and respected and leave feeling more confident.”
Learn More About the Accountancy Program at College of DuPage