The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) has expanded its accounting scholarship offerings to include a Minority Scholarship. Funded by Deloitte, the new scholarship was created to open the doors to the accounting profession for New Jersey high school seniors who are racially or ethnically diverse and considering accounting as their college major.
Multiple scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to qualifying applicants from the following four New Jersey high schools as part of the pilot program: Rahway High School, West Orange High School, New Brunswick High School and East Side High School (Newark).
The schools were chosen based on student demographics and outreach from the NJCPA Career Awareness Program, which offers opportunities for accounting professionals to further students’ knowledge about becoming a CPA. The awards are open to students at any of the four high schools who identify as racially or ethnically diverse, such as Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino; Native American; Pacific Islander; or Asian American. More schools could be added to the program in the future.
“Addressing the issue of diversity in accounting is crucial to the growth of our profession. It’s a pleasure to recognize deserving students,” said Kyle Sell, Audit & Assurance partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP and a past president of the NJCPA.
“The new scholarship award shows the level of importance that our members place on reaching a diverse student audience. It’s wonderful to see so many members willing to share their experiences about the accounting profession and give back to the younger generation,” added Ralph Albert Thomas, CPA (DC), CGMA, CEO and executive director of the NJCPA.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, standardized test scores, essays and personal interviews. Applications are open until Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. Winners will be notified in March 2022. For a complete list of eligibility requirements, visit njcpa.org/scholarships/minority.
The NJCPA Scholarship Fund, which is supported by NJCPA member donations, has distributed awards to more than 2,000 New Jersey students, totaling more than $7 million since its inception in the 1960s.