熊猫在线视频

As one of the elite few schools to earn accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), UAA's College of Business and Public Policy (CBPP) received an invite to nominate a student for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholars Program for the past two years.

Mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and funded by monetary penalties collected as part of PCAOB enforcement, the prestigious scholarship includes a one-time $15,000 award for each scholar.

"The scholarship amount is so significant, it can really support a student through several years of their education," said Professor of Accounting Stasia Straley, noting that the financial assistance empowers students to focus more on their studies and explore internships. When selecting which student to nominate each year, CBPP faculty considered GPA, interest in public accounting, time left in their degree program and other factors. "There are so many UAA students that are deserving of this scholarship. It was just a matter of really thinking about, 'Who could this impact the most?'"

This year's recipient Angel Ancheta joins Ericka Brown as the second UAA student to receive the scholarship. Taking advantage of CBPP's stacked degree programs, both Ancheta and Brown are currently pursuing their bachelor's in accounting after earning their occupational endorsement certificate in bookkeeping and associate degree in accounting.

"They're both really great students in so many ways. They're very service-oriented people. They care about the community, they care about the university, and so it's really, I think, one of the underlying things that made them good recipients," said Straley.

'Really surprised and really thankful'

"I was really surprised and really thankful that I was chosen. It really shows that my work is being appreciated and that all my hard work is paying off," said Ancheta. "Having a 4.0 GPA, I'm glad that I could keep that momentum, given that I'm already in junior year and I have a full-time job."

Originally from the Philippines, Ancheta moved to Anchorage in middle school and has called 熊猫在线视频 home ever since. Although she always planned to attend college, she decided to take a gap year after high school. That gap year became five years as she welcomed her first child.

When enrolling at UAA to resume her studies, Ancheta debated whether to study nursing or accounting. As a self-described introvert, she thought accounting would be the better fit. "I thought I would be sitting in front of a desk and that's it," said Ancheta. "But apparently it's completely the opposite."

The unexpected dynamic of accounting is a pleasant surprise for Ancheta, who is weighing which particular accounting path to pursue. She's drawn to the meticulous nature of auditing and the diverse, interactive work of public accounting.

"I interviewed with a couple of public firms and I do love how they get to work with multiple clients and be more involved with the community. I definitely want to give back," said Ancheta. No matter which path she chooses, she sees herself living and working in 熊猫在线视频.

Given 熊猫在线视频's high demand for accounting professionals and Ancheta's stellar academic performance, the opportunities will be near limitless. "There are more jobs than students right now, so it's one of the reasons the firms and the companies in general are so eager to come to campus and recruit our students," said Straley.

Nearly 105K in UAA-specific scholarships

Although the PCAOB Scholarship is a national award available to only one CBPP student per year, the college also administers several scholarships for students.

Last year, CBPP awarded $72,550 from 23 total scholarship funds, with 42 student recipients. The accounting-specific scholarships totaled $20,700 and include the Accounting Club Scholarship; Lenore and George Hedla Accounting Scholarship; Melissa J. Wolf Accounting Scholarship; and Vince Demarest Endowed Scholarship in Accounting.

That's all in addition to the CBPP Dean's Competitive Scholarship, which had 32 recipients at $1,000, for a total of $32,000 last year, bringing the college's total disbursements to $104,550.

"Our donors are so generous, and they really want students to be able to get through school," said Straley.