TSCPA awards $285Ok in scholarships to accounting college students

The Tennessee Society of CPAs awarded $285,000 in scholarships to 111 college students attending in-state schools or universities via the Academic & Memorial Basis of TSCPA. 

TSCPA scholarships are funded by the donations of CPAs throughout the state of Tennessee, who’ve awarded $4.three million in scholarships because the starting of the initiative. Nearly all of this monetary help comes from the Life Associates Program, which was established in 1978 to honor CPAs who contributed to the scholarship fund. 

“The aim of this scholarship has at all times been to help college students of their profession objectives,” stated Kara Fitzgerald, TSCPA’s president and CEO. “We’re dedicated to assist them achieve success within the subject, and nothing may have been completed with out the help of our valued members.”

TSCPA members are inspired to ascertain pledges via the endowment program, typically beginning with a $500 contribution that may go as much as $2,500 as CPAs develop of their careers. In the event that they progress via the whole life affiliate program, they will contribute as a lot as $10,000 to the scholarship. Members have helped almost 4,000 college students get hold of an accounting diploma and take the CPA examination through the years. 

To qualify for a scholarship, college students will need to have taken introductory accounting programs and/or majored within the subject. The TSCPA scholarship program awards each common scholarships together with named scholarships which are granted based mostly on particular standards decided by the donor, comparable to educational achievement, management expertise and monetary wants. This 12 months, about 18% of scholarship recipients have been ethnic minorities, and Fitzgerald stated it was one of many TSCPA’s proudest accomplishments. 

“Now we have a number of nontraditional college students who obtain scholarships, like people who’ve gone again to highschool later in life, are pursuing one other diploma or are first technology college students” stated Fitzgerald. “Two of our 5 strategic precedence areas are college students and rising professionals, and one other is variety, fairness and inclusion, and I believe it could actually actually help aspiring CPAs and assist construct a extra various pipeline.”

Kara Fitzgerald – TSCPA CEO and President

The TSCPA additionally created the Uncover Accounting program, the place highschool academics are invited to deliver their college students on a subject journey to satisfy CPAs and speak about profession alternatives. The group holds occasions the place center faculty and highschool college students go to accounting corporations and be taught what the career actually entails, exterior of faculty books. 

“I believe that  CPAs can help the following technology by telling them about the entire alternatives their profession and their diploma has supplied them,” stated Fitzgerald. “By organizations like ours, CPAs can help their college students via scholarship packages and different student-focused initiatives provided by their state.”