24 Community College Students Receive AICPA Scholarships

Two dozen community college students have been presented with the AICPA Foundation Two-Year Transfer Scholarship award. The scholarship is given to deserving students who are transferring from a two-year college to a four-year college or university to finish their accounting degree. Each recipient will be awarded $5,000 in tuition for the 2017-18 academic year.

Community colleges educate more than 12 million students each year. With their open admission and lower tuition costs, they provide a crucial pathway to four-year institutions for students seeking to transfer. According to a March 2017 report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 49 percent of all students who completed a four-year bachelor’s degree had been enrolled at a two-year public institution at some point in the previous 10 years.

“Community colleges provide an opportunity for a diverse range of students to pursue a path to the accounting profession,” said Joanne Fiore, AICPA vice president of professional media, pathways & inclusion. “The AICPA Foundation Two-Year Transfer Scholarship award recognizes each of these exceptional students for their accomplishments both inside and outside the classroom and provides them with resources and mentorship to assist them along their way to obtaining a CPA license.”

The AICPA Foundation Two-Year Transfer Scholarship award provides a chance for community college students to excel at a four-year university by reducing the cost of tuition for one year. It is one of four distinct scholarships available through the AICPA Legacy Scholars program which, to date, has presented more than $2 million in scholarships to students since its inception in 2011. In addition to a one-year scholarship, recipients of the award are given the opportunity to refine their leadership, communication and networking skills through volunteer service. Each transfer student must complete at least eight hours of service each semester by promoting the accounting profession on campus.

The 2017-18 AICPA Foundation Two-Year Transfer Scholarship award recipients are listed below in alphabetical order along with the four-year college they are currently attending and the community college they have transferred from:

Rachel Browne, University of Maryland University College, Montgomery College
Jasmine Butler Wayne State University, Oakland Community College
Ines Carvajal, University of Notre Dame, Miami Dade College
Jessica Coriz, New Mexico Highlands University, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
Autumn Davis, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville Technical Community College
Erin Kilpatrick, Jacksonville State University, Snead State Community College
Calvin Kimin, Webster University, Saint Louis Community College – Forest Park
Ekaterina Klokova, Virginia Commonwealth University, Reynolds Community College
Zhishan Liang, University of Florida, Miami Dade College
Jessica Martinez, University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College
Kevin Alejandro Garcia Meijia, Pace University, Westchester Community College
Reynier Montalvan, University of Texas at Austin, Miami Dade College
Abel Ngegba, Pace University, Westchester Community College
Kaitlyn O’Keefe, Delta State University, Hinds Community College
Matthew Pandolfo, The University of Texas at Dallas, Tarrant County College
Larisa Pena, Rowan University, Camden County College
Paola Rodriguez Ponce de Leon, Pace University, Westchester Community College
Tamra Seib, Texas A&M – Central Texas, Barton Community College
Deer Sherifu, Baruch College of CUNY, Bronx Community College of CUNY
William Skudlarek, University of Southern California, College of DuPage
David Storm, University of Central Florida, Walters State Community College
Michelle Thompson, University of the District of Columbia, University of the District of Columbia Community College
Albert Urbieta, Arizona State University, South Mountain Community College
Aquella White, University of Connecticut, Westchester Community College

The 2017-18 AICPA Legacy Scholars Awards provided a total of $630,000 for more than 100 deserving accounting students. Every AICPA Legacy Scholar is a Student Affiliate Member, which is the AICPA’s free-membership for college students. Scholars will each have access to an experienced coach who mentors the students, providing them with direction on service projects and professional guidance along their career paths.

All eligible AICPA Foundation Two-Year Transfer Scholarship recipients must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and an intent to major in accounting or related field at their 4 year school. A task force comprised of AICPA Student Recruitment Committee members and CPA volunteers selected the recipients based on academic excellence, leadership skills, volunteerism and overall commitment to becoming a licensed CPA.

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