When I was a senior in college, NCACPA awarded me a scholarship that helped to relieve the financial burden of my education. I felt such gratitude for that scholarship that I became involved with NCACPA almost immediately to prove I was a good investment.
NCACPA has always been active with colleges and universities to reach students across the state, however, there has never been a committee solely dedicated to accounting students. When I was asked to be a part of a new committee focused on students, I felt so many emotions at once. I was honored to even be considered to chair this committee and nervous about being given so much responsibility, but the most dominant feeling was excitement. The Student Outreach, Advancement & Recruitment Committee (SOAR) is focused on identifying the needs of accounting students and connecting those needs to association efforts and activities. This committee also works to promote the CPA profession and increase awareness for future generations.
Our mission is a robust one that will take time and effort to sustain, but we are up to the challenge. Our hand-selected committee of professors, professionals, and students has already met twice, and each individual brings a unique and different experience that makes our committee diverse, strong, and creative. While we are all different, the one thing we have in common is enthusiasm—enthusiasm for the profession, for NCACPA, and for the students.
In the short time since the committee’s formation, we’ve already been successful in making NCACPA membership free for students. This fall, the committee will hold a competition for accounting clubs and societies across the state. Organizations that are able to get 75% of their members to join NCACPA will receive a prize. While the prize is still to be determined, it will likely involve food. Even though I’ve been out of college for more than five years, I still get excited about free food!
Be on the lookout for more great things from our committee. If you are looking for ways to get involved or have great ideas of your own, contact me at [email protected] or Member Engagement Strategist Holly Bazemore at [email protected].
Jordan Miller is a healthcare manager at CliftonLarsonAllen located in uptown Charlotte and is proud to be co-chair of its Fun Committee. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor of science in accounting and a master of accountancy. Her initial involvement with NCACPA was as the first student liaison to the Young CPA Cabinet, and she currently serves on the Member Connections Committee and as chair of the Student Outreach, Advancement & Recruitment Committee (SOAR).