Forvis awarded $10,000 college scholarships to two accounting students during the National Association of Black Accountants' 2023 National Convention & Expo.
The scholarships were presented during a ceremony and luncheon at the NABA convention in New Orleans. The scholarship winners include:
Sierra Wilder, a student at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, is expected to graduate in spring 2025 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and minor in economics and healthcare management. She is a presidential scholar and business fellow at HPU.
"This scholarship will allow me to be a resource to young Black women and help me be someone they can look up to, someone who comes from a background that they are familiar with," Wilder said in a statement.
Brett Bauer, a student at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, is expected to graduate in spring 2025 with dual bachelor's degrees in accounting and information systems and a minor in sustainability.
"Both recipients are highly impressive and have bright futures ahead, said Kevin Price, chief inclusion and sustainability officer at Forvis. "It's an honor for our firm to be able to spotlight these two future leaders. This is a part of meeting our obligation and responsibility to help grow, expand and improve the profession with diverse talent and be a leader in the industry."
More than 30 Forvis members attended the conference to network with and recruit new staff, with the firm supporting the event as a diamond-level sponsor. Several firm leaders, including CEO Tom Watson, partners Christina Howard and Angie Dunlap, and senior manager Mike Stallworth, led a presentation about how to find success in a constantly changing business environment.
Howard said she looked forward to discussing the life-changing impact of "forward vision," which includes serving the firm's clients but also its employees and their communities. As for Watson, he mentioned NABA's outreach to raise awareness about accounting careers and provide more access for Black college students, especially in the current talent shortage crisis.
"I also think it's great to be with the group of Forvis leaders we have here at NABA to reflect on some of our inclusion and diversity initiatives, and to better understand their goals and objectives as they work to continue moving our firm forward," said Watson in a statement.
