Bringing on and training interns might not be anything unusual, but this is what is – that a firm would actually send out a press release announcing their arrival.

Kudos to two firms - Brown Smith Wallace and Vrakas/Blum for announcing and welcoming their interns formally (well, via press release), something we expect for those in the upper rank but hardly see for those just beginning their careers.

Brown Smith Wallace's new interns – Kellie Hudson and Dave Finklang – have joined the Tax Services Group in the firm’s Creve Coeur office in St. Louis. While Vrakas/Blum's interns - Melissa Dionne, Paul Rothering, Brittain Sellers and Whitney Maggio -will spend some time in the Wisconsin firm's tax and audit departments.

Hudson and Finklang are responsible for assisting seniors and supervisors with various projects, basic tax compliance, and research and accounting projects.

Prior to joining Brown Smith Wallace, Hudson served as a part-time accountant at Wilhelm & Wilhelm and as an intern at Dunton & Associates. She earned a BA in accounting and a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting from Missouri State University.

Finklang served as a pilot for Chautauqua Airlines and as an intern at the firm of Sarah Burkemper, CPA. He earned a BS in Aviation Technology with a minor in accounting from the University of Central Missouri and a Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting from Webster University.

Dionne will be responsible for preparing corporate and individual tax returns. She will also participate in some audits. Dionne is currently enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she is working towards her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting.

Rothering joins the firm as an intern while pursuing his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is also working towards his Master in Professional Accountancy degree for May 2011.

Sellers prepares tax returns and will also participate in some off-site audits. Sellers is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Maggio, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is also an intern in Vrakas/Blum’s audit and tax departments.