The American Accounting Association Foundation is taking stewardship and administration of the Two-Year Bridge Symposium, a program for educating diverse accounting students.
The initiative aims to provide accounting content, community and resources for two-year college students who identify as racially and ethnically diverse as they consider their educational pathways and potential accounting careers. Kecia Williams Smith of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's Center for Accounting Diversity founded the Symposium in 2022 with support from the Center of Audit Quality and the Deloitte Foundation, the Big Four firm's educational nonprofit.
Nearly 300 two-year students participated in the 2022 and 2023 symposia at Deloitte's offices across the country. The 2024 symposium will be held on Nov. 8 in 14 U.S. cities. Applications are currently being accepted for this year's symposium.
"Our mission is to ensure a vibrant and thriving accounting profession, and the Two-Year Bridge Symposium aligns perfectly with the foundation's aspirational mission," AAA Foundation chair George Krull said in a
"The success of this program is underpinned by the support and engagement of dozens of enthusiastic volunteers and champions," AAA CEO Yvonne Hinson said in a statement. "As this program transitions to the foundation, it is inspiring to see so many who are committed to providing students with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the accounting profession and for them to explore all the exciting and transformative career options available."
