Accountancy student earns competitive scholarship

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Alyssa Larner, a student at Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business, recently received a competitive $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for the 2019-20 academic year. The merit-based scholarship is intended to encourage accounting students to pursue careers in audit.

Larner was selected for the scholarship based on her interest and aptitude in accounting and auditing, and for demonstrating high ethical standards. In addition to her academic success, she uses her accountancy skills in a variety of meaningful ways, including:

• Serving as former vice president of chapter operations for WMU's chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, a national co-ed professional business fraternity
• Volunteering with local organizations as a member of Delta Sigma Pi, including Loaves and Fishes
• Working as a student auditor in WMU's Internal Audit Department
• Participating in two internships with Plante Moran, including one in wealth management and one in audit and tax

Larner, who plans to graduate from WMU in December, has accepted a full-time position with Plante Moran as a staff auditor beginning in January 2020.

"I am extremely thankful, honored and blessed to have received such a prestigious award and appreciate the opportunity to make the PCAOB proud as I finish school and continue on with a career in auditing. This opportunity means more than I can put into words, and I hope to one day give back to another accountancy student in the way the organization has helped me," Larner says.

"This award is a reflection of Alyssa's outstanding commitment to her education, her peers and the accounting profession," says Sunday Bonifas, faculty specialist in the WMU Department of Accountancy.  "I expect her future work as an accountant will contribute greatly to our profession. It is so exciting to see Alyssa recognized and rewarded by the PCAOB for her hard work."

ABOUT THE AWARD

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 provides that funds generated from the collection of PCAOB monetary penalties must be used to fund a merit scholarship program for students in accredited accounting degree programs. The PCAOB Scholars Program identifies students eligible to become a PCAOB Scholar and awards funds through the students’ educational institutions. Visit the PCAOB Scholars Program for more information about the award.

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