Five accounting students from the Naveen Jindal School of Management are the recent recipients of scholarships from the Dallas chapters of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA) and the Tax Executives Institute (TEI).
Graduate students Laykyn Hughes, Dylan McKenzie and Abigail Muse received B$3,000 scholarships from TXCPA. All three are in the Professional Program in Accounting (PPA). The program offers significant professional development events, a tailored recruiting process for a career in public accounting and the opportunity to complete both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 5 years.
TXCPA Dallas is a 6,000-member chapter of the statewide nonprofit organization. The 28,000-member Texas organization is the largest association of accounting and finance professionals in the state. It promotes professional excellence and advocates on behalf of CPAs.
TEI’s $2,000 scholarships were awarded to graduate student Brandon Whang and senior Alisa Lipinski, a member the PPA program.
TEI is an international organization with a network of 57 chapters around the world in the United States—including the Dallas chapter—Canada, Europe and Asia. The 7,000-member organization focuses solely on the professional needs of the in-house tax community.
Dr. Rebecca Files, coordinator of the Jindal School’s Accounting Area, expressed her appreciation to TEI Dallas for offering the scholarships. This is the first time the scholarships were available to UT Dallas students.
“We have amazing students and it is so great to see them recognized for what they do at the university as well as outside,” she said.
The recipients all praised the Jindal School’s accounting program professors for keeping students informed about scholarship opportunities. Students also said they appreciate the work the faculty does to help them get internships.
“I am so proud of these students for being selected to receive these scholarships!” said Tiffany Bortz, a professor of practice, associate area coordinator in the Jindal School’s Accounting Area and director of the PPA program. “They are outstanding members of the Professional Program in Accounting at UT Dallas. Their exemplary work ethic and commitment to academics is unparalleled, and I have no doubt they will continue this success as future CPAs in the profession.”
Completing at least one internship with an accounting firm or corporate environment is a requirement for accounting undergraduates. Students have multiple opportunities to network with accounting professionals at events on campus to help meet that requirement. They recognize the incredible opportunity the internships provide.
Muse has an internship at Moss Adams, a professional services firm that provides accounting, consulting and wealth management. She will transition to a full-time employee with the company when she graduates in May 2024.
“I have had phenomenal professors at UTD, especially my professors in accounting,” she said. “They have been so important in helping me prepare for my career. Also, I have been blessed to be able to meet all of the professional CPAs I have at outside events. They are always willing to reach and help with advice.”
At JSOM, Muse is a teaching assistant and has served as a communication lab peer tutor.
McKenzie, who also is a teaching assistant, has an internship in the audit department of Ernst & Young, which provides consulting, assurance, tax and transaction services.
“The scholarship will make grad school a little easier,” McKenzie said, “but honestly, since I worked with the professors here to get an internship as a junior, things have been good. Business school internships are a big deal, and the professors and administrators here are all so approachable. The program is wonderful.”
According to Hughes, transferring to UT Dallas from another school was one of the most impactful decisions she has made.
“After the first semester of my freshman year, I realized I wanted to major in accounting and had heard of the successful PPA program” she said. “My goal from the beginning was to join the program in hopes of gaining my CPA and working in public accounting. Joining PPA provided the foundation I needed to become successful.”
Hughes also received an internship with PwC as a sophomore.
“During the interview they mentioned how UTD had a well-known reputation for providing professional hardworking students,” she said. “Joining PPA provided the foundation I needed to become successful in accounting. …Through my different internships I was able to meet a lot of other interns from different schools. Comparing our classes and schedules made me realize how well-rounded an education JSOM provided us”
The scholarship will help to relieve some of her financial pressure, she added, and will allow her to concentrate on her studies.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics from Texas A&M, Whang returned home to Frisco, took a job in a restaurant, and started thinking about what he wanted to do next. When he decided to pursue a master’s in accounting, friends suggested he check out UT Dallas.
Because he had taken some time away from school to weigh his options, Whang thought the time it would take to get his master’s would make him feel that he was behind.
“I want to thank my professors, especially Mary King (director of the MS in accounting program) for all they do,” he said.
Whang plans to take a gap year with the aim of graduating in May 2025. He currently has internships in the audit department of Carr, Riggs & Ingram (CRI), an accounting and advisory firm, and will soon start a tax internship at KPMG.
“I just want to dip my toes into different areas of accounting to decide which one I want to go into,” he said.
Fellow TEI scholarship recipient Alisa Lipinski is also in the PPA program. She has completed an internship at Jacobs Engineering and will begin an internship at Ernst & Young in February.
“I came all the way from Pennsylvania to attend the Jindal School,” she said. “I am very thankful for the scholarship. I never would have known about it if the professor had not emailed students with the information.”
Lipinski uses her accounting knowledge to benefit others as a participant in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) at UT Dallas.
According to John Gamino, director of the Bachelor of Science in Accounting program at the Jindal School, UT Dallas works with the Communities Foundation of Texas on VITA, which is a program of the Internal Revenue Service. Volunteers work with those who need assistance with filling out tax returns at no charge.
A high grade-point average, interest in a career in accounting, and volunteer activities such as VITA are all considered in the awarding of scholarships, Gamino said. Seeing those scholarships awarded to UT Dallas students is a special experience for faculty as well as the students.
“We try our best to prepare our students and when our efforts are recognized, it is extremely gratifying,” he said.
