The School of Accounting at Florida International University (FIU) is the first school in the United States to host the Accounting Development Program (ADP) sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA) and FIU. Designed for community college students planning to transfer to a four-year institution and modeled on the five-day Minority Summer Residency Program (MSRP) offered at FIU in the summer of 2009, the program will be a boon to the attendees and to the six students from the College of Business Administration chosen to serve as counselors.
“The program is designed to increase awareness of careers in accounting, teach basic accounting concepts, improve personal financial knowledge, and guide students through the process of transferring from a community college to a four-year institution,” said Sharon Lassar, director of the School of Accounting. “The program was highly competitive in both the number of applications for 30 slots in the program and the number of our students who applied to serve as counselors.”
Students’ share commitment, have different goals.
The student counselors, from Beta Alpha Psi or ALPFA at FIU, offered many reasons for their interest in contributing.
Beta Alpha Psi secretary Ellen Arcia explained, “I’ve personally witnessed how incredible opportunities such as ADP help students like me advance in their careers and it would be my honor to share my experiences with the participants. I also look forward to learning from and meeting all PwC’s generous participating representatives.”
Robert Fernandez, a member of Beta Alpha Psi, “wanted the opportunity to pass along any experience I’ve gained as an accounting student at a large university to someone who is just starting. I hope to inspire others to continue their schooling and pursue a Bachelor of Accounting, as well as take the CPA exam.”
“I applied for the position because I would like to be part of the learning process of the accounting profession of new college students,” said ALPFA at FIU member Lisbel Garcia. “I hope to enjoy this experience and to learn more about the current state and practices of the public accounting profession and to network with professionals.”
According to Catherine M. Pena, president-elect, ALPFA at FIU and ALPFA Honors Society, “I want the young students who will soon be our leaders in the business world to know the importance of being proactive toward their future. I hope to motivate them to achieve their goals in planning and preparing for their bright future as CPAs.”
And Ali Vayani, vice president, ALPFA at FIU and ALPFA Honors Society, “applied for the camp counselor position because “I wanted to help other students progress academically and professionally, and I hope to positively affect at least one student and benefit them in any way.”
Candice McCrae also was chosen to be a counselor.
