Growing up in Indonesia, Bertha Arthur (Accounting; Finance ’09) couldn’t imagine the plans God had for her, but she knew she could trust Him. “He is a faithful God,” said Bertha. “At times, I do not understand or see His plans for my life, but He always shows up at the right time.”
Pursuing Higher Education
Some of those plans included Bertha coming to the U.S. and attending Pensacola Christian College. After learning about the College from a friend, she enrolled, and God worked out the rest. Her interest in business math influenced her decision on what to study, and she double-majored in accounting and finance.
As an international student, her speech-heavy classes proved invaluable, helping her to communicate effectively. “Business Communications prepared me well for my interviews,” she said. “Speech class was very helpful to me as a non-native English speaker. It helped prepare me to have the confidence to get in front of others and share my ideas.”
While she studied hard, Bertha’s time in college didn’t just provide professional business training but also gave her lifelong friends. She’s thankful for the many hours spent getting to know others in the Commons or Sports Center. “The PCC experience helps to create one-of-a-kind friendships,” Bertha said. “I still regularly keep up with and see my PCC best friends as often as I can.” Many of those friends were international students who returned to Asia, but she still reaches out to them online or through visits.
Her Professional Career
After graduating in 2009, Bertha Arthur was hired as an accountant at Hearthstone Group, LLC, a Christian property management company in Tennessee. She had been introduced to the owner of the company while serving as a treasurer for the Panhellenic Council. “That’s how I ended up with my first job in the middle of the 2008 market crash,” she shared. “It was a blessing to find someone willing to help me get my first job and [who] was a good Christian boss.”
Over the years, Bertha held several different positions across multiple companies including TSG Wealth Management, Encompass Supply Chain Solutions, and COIX Health. In 2015, she joined White Cap, the leading distributor of concrete accessories, specialty construction, and safety products for professional contractors, as their senior financial analyst. “At a previous company, I learned the fundamentals of sales compensation and analytics,” Bertha explained. “When I started at White Cap, I used those skills and learned their system.”
Building on Her Abilities
In 2020, Bertha accepted the senior finance manager position at White Cap. She collaborates with different teams and establishes processes for recently acquired companies to ensure smooth integrations. “When I moved up to being a manager, I was actively teaching others my skill set and learning how to oversee, build, and lead a team of colleagues,” she said. “My previous experience prepared me to [become] a senior manager.”
Bertha also leads a team in charge of the company’s commissions and bonuses and provides insightful analytics for the sales team to help drive different initiatives. Throughout each position, she’s never wasted the skills she learned. Her dedication to excellence earned her high praise from coworkers and multiple promotions to senior positions.
In each season of Bertha Arthur’s life, God was working out every detail, whether she understood the plan or not. From attending PCC to starting and continuing a successful career, she knows she can count on God to be faithful to her, again and again.
Read more about how God is directing and working through PCC faculty and alumni.