One of Greenville's Best & Brightest knows value of service

Greenville Magazine recently named John Otten '95 one of Greenville's Best & Brightest under 35. It's no surprise. Otten developed a solid foundation at PC, majoring in business and accounting.

After graduating magna cum laude, he went on to the University of Georgia to get a master's in accountancy, specializing in tax. He was the top graduate student at UGA when he graduated in '96. He received the Ernst & Young Tax Research award and the Georgia Federal Tax Conference Tax Scholar award for his efforts. When he took the CPA exam that same year, Otten scored the highest of anyone in South Carolina.

When it comes to accounting, Otten is about the brightest there is. But, Otten knows that being successful involves more than being bright. Being a good person is important too. On that note, Otten has helped with area organizations such as Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County, Hands on Greenville, Junior Achievement, United Way, and others. He's also involved in his church, Trinity Lutheran. Serving others is something Otten also learned about while at PC.

"PC did an excellent job of teaching you how to be a well-rounded person. Professors go beyond technical knowledge," Otten said. "At PC, you learn how to interact with people, how to get involved in your community, how to look at your environment as a whole, all of the intangibles you can't get at larger schools that focus only on technical knowledge."