Changing Lives
COAP Gives Students a Glimpse into the Future

By Stephanie R. Myers

Since its beginning in 1987, the Society’s Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession program has enriched the lives of thousands of high school students. This summer, the program, which focuses on minorities who historically have been underrepresented in the profession, took place on eight different college campuses. More than 200 students participated in the programs, which are residential or commuter-based and include myriad speakers, seminars and, most of all, learning experiences that will keep accounting fresh in the minds of these young people as they go about deciding their future career paths.

Brockport Students Get Prepared

The Brockport program took place from June 26 to June 30 at SUNY-Brockport. The 20 students got the opportunity to spend a full day at the offices of Eldredge Fox & Porretti LLP, where they learned how to personally prepare individual tax returns. The program also included a visit from guest speaker Michael Finney, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise.

On the final day, a commencement banquet was held at Seymour Union–Ballroom West at the SUNY campus in Brockport. Patricia Elliott Stevens, commissioner of the Department of Human Services in Rochester, served as the guest speaker for the well-attended ceremony.

Stepping Out: Dutchess Students Go Everywhere

Variety is the spice of life, and no program epitomized this more than the Dutchess Community College program, with students being treated to visits to businesses that were truly wide-ranging. The 16 students who participated in the program visited everywhere from PepsiCo. and St. Francis Hospital to SUNY New Paltz and Vanacore DeBenedictus, DiGovanni & Weddell.

Westchester Mixes It Up

Combining an appealing selection of seminar topics and stimulating field trips, the Westchester program drew 31 students. Attendees of the program, held June 24 through June 30 at Westchester Community College, were treated to a curriculum of particular relevance, including college preparation, goal setting, networking and mock interview seminars.

Additionally, the group attended field trips to locations such as Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Pepsi Bottling Group and SYMS.

Alan Badey, of Citrin Cooperman and Company LLP, said the field trip to his firm’s offices helped the students learn how an accounting firm works.

“The biggest thing that they took away from the experience is that there’s so much opportunity in public accounting for them, and the diversity of the opportunity is tremendous,” he said.

Hofstra Visits the Big Four

Boasting an attendance of 46 students, the Hofstra University program, which ran June 26 through June 30, was a big success. Visits to Long Island offices of the Big Four firms (KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers) proved to be popular, as did visits to the Nassau County Controller’s Office and the Belmont Raceway.

The banquet on June 30 also was a big hit. More than 140 people gathered to celebrate the successful conclusion of the program and to listen to keynote speaker Frederick E. Davis Jr., of Mitchell & Titus LLP.

Syracuse Program Tours a Success

Le Moyne College provided the setting for the very informative Syracuse program, held June 27 through June 29. Fifteen students attended the program, which included a tour of Testone Marshall & Discenza LLP.

Syracuse Chapter President Gail Kinsella said the students learned about different facets of business during the tour.

“The program went extremely well, and from the feedback we received, the students appreciated the time the firms put in and the curriculum,” she said. “I think they had fun.”

Pace University Utilizes Workshops

The seeds for COAP were first planted in 1987 at Pace University, which hosted the very first COAP program. Over time, the impact of the program has not waned. From June 26 through June 30, 36 students got a glimpse of college life, working and socializing with one another at the university’s Pleasantville campus in Westchester County.

Students took part in workshops on a number of relevant areas, including resume writing, college preparation, networking, accounting overview, financial statement analysis and business etiquette. For a field trip, the students also visited PricewaterhouseCoopers in Stamford, Conn., and attended presentations on careers in the accounting profession.

The banquet ceremony on the last day featured keynote speaker Pamela Wheeler, director of operations for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association.

Siena College Program Shatters Misconceptions

Everything from entrepreneurship to technology and communications was part of the curriculum at the Siena College program. The theme of the program was “Dispelling the Myth About the CPA,” and students got the chance to witness the range of affairs a CPA is involved with on a day-to-day basis. The students also had the opportunity to see CPAs in firms of different sizes as they toured PricewaterhouseCoopers and Dorfman Robbie.

Enthusiasm Contagious at Long Island University Program

Motivation was high amongst the students who attended the Long Island University–Brooklyn campus COAP program.

Visits to the Securities and Exchange Commission offices, Keyspan and PricewaterhouseCoopers were all met with great enthusiasm from the students.

“We have to have a base where kids can go to have training and get a job,” said Brooklyn Chapter’s Pat Wright, who helped lead the program. “I’d encourage as many chapter people as possible to help do that through getting involved with COAP.”