The
Created in 2020 to provide financial support for aspiring CPAs, the lottery is spearheaded by the NJCPA Student Loan Debt Task Force to lessen the weight of student loans. The funds were provided by the NJCPA Scholarship Fund, which donated over $7 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 New Jersey students throughout its 60-year history.
The winners, who were randomly selected in December out of 182 applicants, have a combined student loan debt of more than $480,000. To be eligible for the lottery, their individual debt needed to be greater than $1,200, which is common for accounting students whose average debt is estimated to be
"The Student Loan Debt Lottery is a wonderful way to assist those of us in the accounting profession who may have accumulated debt on our journeys to become a CPA," said Melissa Dardani, a member of the Student Loan Debt Task Force, in a press release. "It's also a reminder of how much student loan debt affects all of us."
The following list includes all of this year's winners:
- Regina M. Ficarra, staff accountant at WilkinGuttenplan;
- Christopher Martin, partner at SobelCo;
- Amy L. Mooney, tax accountant at Dimensional Accounting Services;
- Joseph E. Polanco, staff accountant II at Withum;
- Andrea Rega, senior audit associate at WilkinGuttenplan;
- Brian J. Rizzi, semi-senior tax accountant at Marcum LLP;
- Melisa Sirak, staff accountant at WilkinGuttenplan;
- Nicholas W. Smith, senior accountant at Withum;
- Ryan Stacy, staff accountant at Ernst & Young LLP; and
- Kristopher X. Tapia, CPA.
"Student loan debt continues to weigh on young professionals today," said Zachary Cohen, a member of the NJCPA Student Loan Debt Task Force and the chair of its Emerging Leaders Council, in a statement. "It's important we recognize that and offer programs and awards that can help lessen the cost of becoming a CPA."
