Rachel Jepson’s two favorite weeks of the year are BYU Women’s Conference and BYU Campus Education Week. “I love to learn,” says the 2005 MAcc graduate. “I was sad when I graduated from BYU because I was going to miss the school environment.”
As a partner at King & McCleary, LLC in American Fork, Utah, Jepson also seeks out educational opportunities. “You always need to be learning to keep up in the accounting profession,” she says. “The same is true for the gospel. My BYU professors instilled in me a desire to continue studying both professional and spiritual topics.”
Tax season is another of Jepson’s favorite times of year. “My coworkers think I’m kind of strange, but I enjoy tax season. Every day you’re facing a new challenge and learning more,” she says. “I have found a profession that really fits me.”
Jepson is grateful for the many mentors who guided her as she was starting her career. “They helped me tremendously and taught me so much,” she says. “One of the most rewarding parts of my career has been the great friendships I’ve formed with various coworkers over the years.”
Outside of work, Jepson, who was born with congenital cataracts, has volunteered with Utah Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired (UFB) for 25 years. Her father, who taught blind and visually impaired students in Utah’s Jordan School District, founded the nonprofit in 1988. “He wanted to teach what wasn’t taught at school: independent living skills, social skills, and job skills. A main focus at UFB is sports, specifically goalball,” Jepson says.
Jepson began playing goalball—a Paralympic sport developed after WWII for individuals with visual impairment—in high school and has coached teams for more than 20 years. The biggest benefits of being a coach, she says, are spending time with the athletes and seeing how they grow. “The players gain confidence and enthusiasm. Another important part is the friendships they form with others who face similar challenges,” says Jepson, who coached the USA girls’ team at the Goalball Youth World Championships in Colorado in 2015 and in Hungary in 2017.
Jepson’s involvement with UFB serves as another venue for education. “It has been instrumental in helping me develop many skills and has created some of the greatest memories of my life,” she says.
In addition to volunteering with UFB, Jepson took a professional leave to serve as a senior missionary in the Philippines Cebu East Mission in 2023. “I loved learning about a different culture and working with missionaries and church members,” says Jepson, who utilized her accounting skills as she oversaw mission finances. “Their strength, humility, and passion for the gospel was so impressive.”
Jepson also serves in her ward’s Young Women organization, where three of her nieces attend. When Jepson is not working or volunteering, you can find her hiking to waterfalls, running, playing sports, or reading.
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This article is published on page 16 of BYU Marriott's 2024 Annual Report.
