January 2000

Society Scholarships Help Aspiring CPAs Achieve Goals

Past Recipients Encourage Students to Apply

By Sanjay Paranandi

In 1990, the NYSSCPA created the Excellence in Accounting Scholarship fund to provide financial assistance and encourage deserving candidates to enter the accounting profession. Over the years, the fund--supported by member contributions-- has helped hundreds of accounting students pursue their education. The Trusted Professional spoke to a few of the many recipients about how the scholarship has helped them.

Asya Bangiyeva, who attends Long Island University in Brooklyn, encouraged students to apply.

"The Society's scholarship helped me become a better student," she said. "It gave me incentive to work harder and get better grades. Anyone who is an accounting major should definitely apply, because it really helps ease the financial burden put upon us as students."

Terrence Anderson, who attends Baruch College, echoed Bangiyeva's views on the scholarship benefits and encouraged applicants to try get as much assistance as possible for their education.

"In addition to helping me financially, receiving a scholarship from the Society gives me a sense of accomplishment," Anderson said.

The NYSSCPA awards scholarships of $1,500 per academic year for full-time students (12 credits or more per semester) and $750 per academic year for part-time students (at least six credits per semester). Payments are awarded in separate equal installments, one each semester. Students can renew the awards provided they continue to meet all eligibility requirements.

To qualify, college students must have declared accounting as their major, have completed at least 60 semester credits, and maintain a 3.0 GPA. The Society's program funds up to five years of study for students enrolled in a 150-hour program.

Michelle Marco, a student at St. John's University, said the scholarship helped her attend graduate school.

"Without the scholarship, I could not have attended graduate school and I could not have pursued my dream of becoming an accountant," Marco said. "The scholarship helped to change my life."

The NYSSCPA and its Foundation for Accounting Education encourage Society chapters and members to inform college students about the Excellence in Accounting Scholarship. The Society sends applications to accounting departments, accounting clubs, and financial aid offices each January. Comments from past recipients prove that receiving an NYSSCPA Excellence in Accounting scholarship can impact an aspiring CPA's future.

The Scholarships Awards Committee, chaired by Kathleen Brown, includes representatives from all 11 chapters and selects recipients from each chapter area, based on the students' home addresses. The number of scholarships in each chapter is allocated by the number of NYSSCPA members in the area.

The application deadline is April 1. Students can pick up applications from their accounting department chairs, accounting clubs, and financial aid offices. For more details about the scholarship or to print a copy of the application, see www.nysscpa.org, or contact Joyce Lewis at (212) 719-8379, (800) 633-6320, or jlewis@nysscpa.org. *