DARE MIGHTY THINGS AT CASH CAMP

Minority Students Learn About Opportunities At Utah State University

BY JAYSON TALAKAI, PH.D.

The Quigley Ambassadors, an accounting student organization at Utah State University (USU), held their inaugural Dare Mighty Things Cash Camp on October 8, 2022. This event was held to recruit high school students from underrepresented minority groups (e.g., African American, Native American, Latin American, and Pacific Islanders) into the accounting program. Approximately 35 students and parents attended the all-day event. The purpose of this event was to, first, help these students visualize themselves on a college campus, and second, help them see the opportunities and knowledge an accounting degree could mean for them and their family.

The day started off at Maverik Stadium, where students toured the locker room, the athletics hall of fame, and were even able to go onto the football field. Afterwards they went to the USU challenge course to do some leadership activities. During lunch, students heard from recent graduates Elijah Toa (Samoan), Jaslyn Stevens (Samoan), Ana Patino (Latina), Tony Valdez (Latino), and Kenrik Lopez (Filipino), who talked about their backgrounds and professional experiences since graduating from USU’s accounting program. Their stories were inspiring and impactful. They were followed by Chad Simon (associate dean), who gave a very motivational speech where he had the students text themselves a message. The first line read “I can…” and the second line read “I can’t …..yet.” He told them that they may not be able to do certain things now, such as pass challenging college courses, but that’s okay because they are still in high school. However, if they put in work and stick with it, they will be able to eventually. As the majority of the students who attended were of Pacific Islander descent and came from the West Valley City area, I was the concluding speaker and shared the challenges of growing up in West Valley City. I was among the first Tongans to get a Ph.D. in accounting.

Students then participated in a hands-on cost accounting activity where groups of 4 to 5 students built gingerbread houses. They tracked all of the materials that were used and assigned other expenses to the cost of building the houses. Then accounting faculty and the Quigley Ambassadors placed bids on how much they would pay for each house. Students learned the difference between revenue and profit, various strategies to maximize profit and the importance of understanding the cost of overhead. The final events of the day included guidance on how to pay for college, a tour of campus and attendance

at the Utah State vs. Air Force football game.

The Dare Mighty Things Cash Camp seems to have struck a chord with the local communities. The feedback has been extremely positive, and I have since met with various minority groups around Cache Valley who have all asked when we were going to hold the Dare Mighty Things Cash Camp in the future so they can participate. In particular, a father reached out to Cash Camp because his son was failing all of his classes. The father expressed concerns about the choices his son was making and was hoping for advice on how to help his son. I invited the son to participate in the Cash Camp. The son was very engaged in the day’s activities and even spoke to a representative from KPMG at the conclusion of the panel discussion. The father also reached out a few days after the event and mentioned how his wife and son couldn’t stop talking about Cash Camp. He also mentioned the positive change he has seen in his son’s behavior towards school and education in general.

Similarly, when the information session concluded, one of the fathers approached Dr. Chris Skousen with tears in his eyes. The father runs a landscaping business and the activities — especially the gingerbread house — helped him see the role that accounting plays in business and overall decision making. He excitedly mentioned that he has a daughter currently serving an LDS mission but would bring her to campus once she returns to meet with some accounting faculty. He hopes that she will enroll in accounting at Utah State University when she starts school.

Special thanks to KPMG, PwC and the UACPA for helping make this event possible. n

Jayson Talakai is among the first Tongans to earn a Ph.D. in accounting. He completed his degree from Texas Tech University in August 2016. Dr. Talakai earned his B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young UniversityHawaii in 2009. Prior to obtaining his Ph.D., he worked as a staff accountant at the University of Utah. Dr. Talakai and his wife have six children, four girls and two boys.

The following numbers come from UNIVSTATS for the 2022 - 2023 school year.

By The Numbers

UTAH’S STUDENTS & UNIVERSITIES

408,979

$8,686

AVERAGE TUITION & FEES FOR IN-STATE UNDERGRADS

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ARE ACTIVE IN UTAH (17 PUBLIC AND 46 PRIVATE)

63

AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF ACCEPTANCE RATE FOR UTAH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

86

66,321

NUMBER OF COLLEGE APPLICANTS

NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING UTAH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN 2022 – 2023

$15,707

AVERAGE TUITION & FEES FOR OUT-OF-STATE UNDERGRADS

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