The American Institute of CPAs announced that 97 accounting students were awarded the AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students for the 2013-14 year.
The recipients were selected from 339 eligible applicants who maintained a minimum 3.0 grade point average and plan on pursuing CPA licensure. They were chosen based on their academic and leadership capabilities.
“The AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students provided me with resources to cover my textbooks and a portion of my tuition,” said Ezekiel Kayode, a 2012-13 Minority Scholarship recipient, in a statement. “Most importantly, the scholarship enhanced my success on the CPA exam, because I did not need to work while preparing for the exam. By providing me with this scholarship, the AICPA helped me attain my academic and career goals.”
As recipients of this scholarship, the students becomes part of the AICPA Legacy Scholars program, established in 2011 to award recipients with a one-year scholarship and offer continued benefits through the AICPA Legacy Scholars Alumni.
The following students were selected as recipients for designated awards:
Accounting Education Foundation of the Texas Society of CPAs
• Julio Benavides
• Cassandra Blanchard
• Monica Boggan
• Courtney Caldwell
• Adlith Castillo
• Louise de Castro
• Jeannette Hernandez
• Jesus Moncayo
• Bryan Morgan
• Brian Talley
New Jersey Society of CPAs
• Chakele Chavies
• Anna Li
Robert Half International
• Michael Acosta
• Nathalie Sheriff
Stuart Kessler Scholarship Recipient
• Sahara Rodriguez
The AICPA Minority Scholarship program was established in 1969 with the aim to increase ethnic diversity in the profession and has since awarded approximately $15 million in scholarships. This year, Texas had the most Minority Scholarship recipients this year with 13, while New York had eight, Illinois seven, and Georgia and North Carolina were tied with six.
Scholarship funding is provided by the AICPA Foundation with contributions from the Accounting Education Foundation of the Texas Society of CPAs ($10,000), the New Jersey Society of CPAs ($5,000) and Robert Half International ($5,500). The majority of students receive individual awards of $3,000 to fund expenses related to their pursuit of an accounting degree.
The full list of recipients is available