Shaping the Next Generation of CPAs According to the AICPA’s 2021 Trends report, “accounting graduates trended downward in the 2019-2020 academic year, with decreases of 2.8% and 8.4% at a bachelor’s and master’s level, respectively.” The Arizona CPA Foundation for Education & Innovation supports the ASCPA’s efforts to attract and prepare individuals with the highest potential for contribution to the accounting profession in Arizona through initiatives in formal education. One avenue of supporting up-and-coming CPAs is through scholarships, available thanks to generous contributions from the CPA community. These awards are given to selected students of accounting at public and private universities, as well as high school students. To learn more about our scholarship program or to give to support students such as these, visit ascpa.com/scholarships.
Amber Jee
Arizona College Preparatory High School In high school, Jee created a goal: reach 100 hours of community service. She volunteered at Banner Health Ocotillo Medical Center’s front desk. She sorted classroom recycling through her school’s Key Club and gave her time as a Sunday school teacher at her church. Her long-term goal is to become a CPA and help people save time in managing their expenses. “I care about making smart financial decisions for whatever organization I work for,” Jee wrote. “Whether it is keeping track of the budget or managing taxes, I want the company to prosper.”
Sophia Gutman University of Arizona
Gutman is pursuing her Master of Accounting before taking the CPA exam. She is interested in public accounting. “I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the accounting industry when I completed my first accounting project for my very first accounting class,” Gutman recalls. “We had to complete an income statement, statement of retained earnings and a balance sheet. When I finished my balance sheet and the assets equaled the liabilities plus stockholders’ equity, I knew accounting was for me. I am an organization lover; I always tell people my key to success is a color-coded planner. I also have always had a passion for math and numbers.”
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AZ CPA JULY/AUGUST 2022
