The American Institute of CPAs has announced the recipients of the 2021 George Willie Ethnically Diverse Student Scholarship and Internship Program.
The annual program provides scholarships and internships to five ethnic minority accounting students who are pursuing the CPA license. The AICPA’s scholarship provides up to $10,000 to each student to assist with their final year of study. Each recipient also receives an internship opportunity during the 2022 busy season (January to April) sponsored by one of the AICPA’s Private Company Practice Section member firms.
The program honors George Willie, a former chair of the AICPA’s PCPS Executive Committee and the AICPA Minority Initiatives Committee. Over Willie’s 35-year career, he promoted accounting careers to students and young professionals pursuing the CPA license.
“The George Willie program provides students with practical, hands-on experience that is needed for a successful career as a CPA while also acting as a building block towards increasing diversity and inclusion within the profession,” said Shelly Frazier, senior manager of diversity and inclusion for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, in a statement. “It is in the best interest of firms within the accounting profession to encourage, develop and increase opportunities for ethnic minorities. This program helps students transition into the profession and, simultaneously, offers firms a new opportunity toward growing a diverse and inclusive workplace.”
Recipients of the 2021 George Willie Scholarship and Internship, as well as the firms they are interning with and the universities they are attending, are as follows:
- Reina Godeck: King & Oliason; University of Washington;
- Summer Jaime: Moss Adams; Hollins University;
- Alhasan Idrees: Dean Dorton; University of North Georgia;
- Musab Makhtal: Abdo, Eick & Meyers; Concordia University – St. Paul;
- Guillermo Malpartida: SobelCo; Southern Connecticut State University;
- Francisco Martinez Jr.: BPM, Inc.; California State University;
- Olajide Oladipo: Bowman & Company; Villanova University;
- Deondra Ricketts: O’Connor & Drew P.C.; Suffolk University;
- Kya Sanchez: Anders CPA; Northwest Missouri State University; and
- Amber Tabata: Krost CPAs; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
For more information on the scholarship, head to ThisWaytoCPA's
