2007 NJCPA College Scholarship Recipient

My dream of becoming an accountant started in 2004 when I began college. My parents always told me to network with people and organizations that would enable me to succeed in my career. Taking their advice, I found the NJCPA through a Google search. I connected with an NJCPA NextGen outreach manager, who made me aware of the scholarships available to accounting students. After submitting my application, I was invited for an interview and ultimately awarded a scholarship, which I humbly accepted.

My life changed with the NJCPA scholarship. Not only did it lessen my financial burden for that semester, but it afforded me the opportunity to meet and connect with a partner at Deloitte, who made me aware of the job openings at the firm and encouraged me to apply. Today, I am a senior auditor at Deloitte. I would not be where I am today without the NJCPA scholarship.

Two years later, I was honored to serve as keynote speaker at the 2009 NJCPA Scholarship Ceremony, where I had the opportunity to pay it forward and encourage others by sharing the scholarship’s impact on my own life and career. The same year, I contributed to the NJCPA’s CPA Exam Cram blog. I can go on and on about the priceless opportunities the scholarship has afforded me, but all I can say is thank you and ask the organization to continue to keep up with your good works. The NJCPA scholarship has wiped away my tears and gave me a great shot in life.