CPATrack News

Minority High School Students Account for a Visit with the Red Sox

The sun was smiling and so were the 35 high school students who came to Boston with accounting on their minds. The youths visiting the Massachusetts Society of CPAs office on July 27^th were part of the week-long Careers in Accounting and Management Professions (CAMP) program offered by the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst this past summer.  Co-sponsored by the Society, this unique live-in opportunity enables high school students of diverse ethnic backgrounds to see first- hand what the accounting world is all about.  The curriculum includes various workshops and activities that build and strengthen their leadership, communication and analytical skills.

The future business professionals experienced the Society's boardroom environment up close and personal while meeting representatives from the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) and the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA). Ike Okonkwo of Ernst & Young; Araceli Rios, CPA, of the IRS; and Shanikwa Davis, a recent MSA graduate from Northeastern, enlightened them about the limitless possibilities of the accounting profession and shared their own personal journeys.

After a pizza lunch, it was off to Fenway Park. The students were welcomed to the prestigious Fenway Absolut Clubhouse where Red Sox Staff Accountant Mark Sirota discussed some of the elements of his job and its amazing perks. After their own guided tour, the students visited the Boston office of PwC, a place they may find themselves working one day.