A current Midwestern State University graduate student and a recent graduate are recipients of scholarships from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants that will assist them as they take the final steps in their accounting certification.

Graduate student Gerard Jonkam received an AICPA COVID-19 Student Hardship Grant for $2,000. Gerard plans to graduate in December 2020 with an MBA with a concentration in accounting. He is from Cameroon, West Africa.
He will use the grant to purchase CPA study review materials and take the CPA board exams.

Rachel Smith, a 2018 MBA graduate, was one of 50 CPA candidates nationwide who received a $1,500 scholarship from the AICPA Foundation. She also earned her undergraduate degree from MSU Texas in 2017. She has been working in the field and has passed three of the four required CPA exams. She hopes to receive her certification by the end of the year.

Smith said earning a CPA license is a challenging, involved process. “Receiving this AICPA scholarship enabled me to focus wholly on studying for the exams and find great success by doing so. I am sincerely thankful for this scholarship, as well as all the support I received from MSU faculty, staff, and donors as I’ve pursued this achievement,” she said.

Jonkam said the chance to apply for the grant could have passed him by, but Susan Anders, the Louis J. and Ramona Rodriguez Distinguished Professor of Accounting, informed students during the summer about the grant. “I am truly grateful for her giving us the heads up,” he said. “This grant will go a long way to assist me financially.” Jonkam said receiving his scholarship reinforced his faith that hard work would be rewarded.

“Both of these situations show the benefit of attending a smaller school like MSU, where faculty and staff know students personally and advocate on students’ behalf,” Anders said.

The APCPA Foundation’s CPA Exam Scholarship provides $1,500 to AICPA Student Affiliate members or AICPA CPA Exam Candidate Affiliate members in the U.S. to reimburse fees for taking the CPA Exam as well as exam preparatory courses and materials. The CPA Exam consists of four parts taken over about 18 months, and individuals must take and pass all four parts to become licensed CPAs.