New York (October 3, 2012) - The AICPA has announced that 84 accounting students from across the United States have been awarded the AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students. The recipients for the 2012-13 academic year were selected through a rigorous process designed to ensure they possessed first-rate academic and leadership capabilities.
This year’s Minority Scholarship program received 286 eligible applications. Recipients include students in both undergraduate and graduate level accounting programs who have maintained a minimum 3.3 grade point average. All students must plan on pursuing the CPA licensure.
“To me, the value of the AICPA’s minority scholarship doesn’t lie solely in meeting a student’s financial needs, but in the many intangibles which outshine any other scholarship I’ve received,” said Ronald Dukes, a 2012-2013 recipient who is pursuing his Masters of Accountancy at Villanova University. “This scholarship has provided me with inspiration and passion to impact a positive change in the accounting profession and to set an example for my peers to follow.”
The following students were selected as recipients for designated awards:
Stuart Kessler Scholarship Recipient
Nicholas Denice, Roger Williams University
New Jersey Society of CPAs
Chris Arthur, Rutgers University
Sarah Connell, University of Pittsburgh
Robert Half International
Ronald Dukes, Villanova University
Accounting Education Foundation of the Texas Society of CPAs
Stephanie Aranda, Southern Methodist University
Julio Benavides, Trinity University
Adlith Castillo, University of Houston
Raheem Farishta, Texas A&M University
Melissa Hernandez, University of Houston
Kevin Kibaara, Texas Southern University
Andrew Quintana, University of Texas at Austin
Shahzad Ramzan, University of Texas at Dallas
Mohammad Raza, University of Texas at Dallas
States with the most Minority Scholarship recipients this year are Texas (10), Florida (7), and tied are New York (6) and North Carolina (6).
Scholarship funding is provided by the AICPA Foundation with contributions from the Accounting Education Foundation of the Texas Society of CPAs, the New Jersey Society of CPAs and Robert Half International. The majority of students receive individual awards of $3,000 to fund expenses related to their pursuit of an accounting degree.
A complete list of the 2012-13 AICPA Minority Scholarship recipients is available at aicpa.org/minorityscholarship.
The application deadline for the 2013-2014 AICPA Minority Scholarship program is April 1, 2013.
The AICPA Minority Scholarship began in 1969 with the aim to increase the ethnic diversity of the CPA profession. Since the program’s inception, the AICPA Minority Scholarship has awarded approximately $14.6 million.
The AICPA recently announced the creation of the National Commission on Diversity & Inclusion to serve as champions of diversity within the accounting profession and increase the retention and advancement of underrepresented minorities to better reflect the clients and communities CPAs serve.
To learn more about the AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students and other scholarship opportunities, visit www.aicpa.org/scholarships.