CPATrack News

High school students from as far away as Martha's Vineyard descended on the campus of Bentley University and Babson College recently to attend the Society's "Is Accounting for Me? From College to Career" Conference.  The 240 students representing 32 schools were handpicked by their teachers on the merits of their schoolwork and desire to pursue a degree in business or accounting.

A highlight of the event included a "Real World Accounting Panel" where four practicing CPAs provided insights and answered questions for the students. Peter Henderson, a CPA and a Controller at New Balance, related how the accounting degree he obtained at Bentley led to him to meeting his wife, obtaining a rewarding job, and being able to go to work in jeans and athletic shoes. Kate Jaspon, a Babson alum, shared her journey of working at one of the Big Four as a CPA, to eventually becoming a Vice President at Dunkin' Brands.           

The conferences both had unique events for the students. At Bentley, students were introduced to the cutting-edge ACE computer lab while comparing financial statements of some Fortune 500 companies.  At Babson, members of the college's theater group, the  Babson Players, proposed three different companies in need of a CPA.  High school students decided which company would offer the most lucrative investment after calculating costs, risks, and profit margins.

It was no real big surprise that the free lunch generously donated by both institutions was a big hit. The high school students got to dine with current college undergrads and professors at the campus dining halls. Over delightful pizza, anxieties of living college life and pursuing degrees fled as the youngsters got their questions answered by the experienced college students and professors.

The closing session for both conferences was a panel with current accounting undergrads. There they told their stories of heartache and triumph. When asked if the college students were glad they chose accounting, one panelist without hesitation answered that it had  opened many opportunities and that she was confident in her future career." The high school students let out a whoop after the young woman also mentioned she earned $25 an hour at her past summer accounting internship.

Upon leaving the event, some high school students stated they were now convinced they wanted to obtain an accounting degree. Others reported they now wished to attend either Babson or Bentley. The majority felt more confident with accounting in their future.

The MSCPA would like to thank the following individuals who contributed to the success of these events:

Babson College

Babson College for hosting the event and donating the lunch to all the students.

Daniel M. Andrea, CPA, Feeley & Driscoll P.C.

Grant Gosselin, Dean of Undergraduate Admission at Babson

Dennis Hanno, Dean of the Undergraduate School of Babson College

Todd Hill, CPA, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Katherine D. Jaspon, CPA, Dunkin Donut Brands

John Micalizzi, Director of Human Resources, McGladrey

Nicholas Papakyrikos CPA, Johnston & Papakyrikos, CPA

Bentley University

Bentley University for hosting the event and donating the lunch to all the students.

Joseph A. Fabiano, CPA, Partner, Kirkalnd Albrecht Fredrickson, LLC

Caren Feldman, CPA, Manager, Boston Scientific Corp.

Michelle Finno, the Associate Director of Admissions at Bentley University

Diana Frascella, Chair of the MSCPA Academic & Career Development Committee

Cynthia Gavlick, CPA, Vice President of Finance, The May Institute

Peter Henderson, CPA, Controller, New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

Arthur Reed, Director of ACE Lab at Bentley University

We would also like to thank the following accounting firms who donated giveaways for the students' gift bags: Edelstein and Company LLP; Ercolini & Company; Ernst and Young LLP; and O'Connor & Drew PC.