Scholarship Day showcases students' knowledge of accounting issues.(Involvement)

Several of Ohio's top college accounting majors spent a day interviewing with OSCPA judges during The Ohio CPA Foundation's 2009 Scholarship Day, which awards a scholarship to an accounting student who demonstrates exceptional knowledge of issues facing the profession.

Lauren Huml of University of Dayton received first-place honors with an award of $3,000.

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"It's exciting and extremely satisfying to see all my efforts realized in the form of the scholarship," Huml said.

"Overall, the day was a great experience," she added. "The judges, Ohio Society staff and the other candidates were all extremely welcoming and friendly. While the questions asked were challenging, the environment was very relaxed, making the day less stressful."

Each Scholarship Day participant had previously won a Foundation regional scholarship and was chosen as the top scholarship recipient in their region, which made them eligible to compete for the additional statewide award.

During the event, candidates attended a series of one-on-one interviews with OSCPA member judges. They answered one final interview question before a panel comprised of all the judges. Their answers to the questions allowed judges to evaluate students on their grasp of the issues facing the CPA profession and their ability" to discuss them at length.

Volunteer judge Jerry Esselstein, CPA said students exercise more than their analytical accounting skills during Scholarship Day. Candidates must also demonstrate excellent interpersonal communications and sales skills.

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"This is a chance to find out if the students can think on their feet without having access to FASB rules or a spreadsheet," Esselstein said. "The winner was the one who best articulated her understanding of the issues."

THE OHIO SOCIETY THANKS THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS FOR VOLUNTEERING AS JUDGES:

* Brent Ardit, CPA, Rea & Associates, Inc.

* Jim Bronder, CPA, The University of Northwestern Ohio

* Chris Dean, CPA, GBQ Partners LLC

* Jerry Esselstein, CPA, Jerry L. Esselstein Company, LLC

* Michele Hoover, CPA, Walthall, Drake & Wallace LLP

* Maggie Houston, CPA, Wright State University

* Sharon Reisman, CPA, Clark Schaefer Hackett & Co.

STUDENT PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED:

* Logan Kreais, The University of Findlay

* Denise Morrison, The Ohio State University

* Tracy Chamberlain, University of Toledo

* Joseph Campbell, Kent State University

* Ashley Tonkovich, Youngstown State University

* Lauren Huml, University of Dayton

OHIO CPA FOUNDATION RECIPIENTS:

JOHN WACHER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

* Laura Triola, University of Akron

AKRON/CANTON FUND:

* Joseph Campbell, Kent State University

CINCINNATI FUND:

* Ryan Crotty, University of Cincinnati

* Daniel Powers, Xavier University

* Julie Marra, Xavier University

CLEVELAND FUND:

* Jennifer Wong, Case Western Reserve University

* Monica Ursick, Lake Catholic High School

* LeeAnn Swift, Ashtabula County JVS/Pymatuning Valley

* Stephanie Vondra, Padua Franciscan High School

* Benjamin Lozar, Notre Dame Cathedral Latin

* Steve Kresnye, Cleveland State University

* Kaitlin Wojno, John Carroll University

* Danielle Bly, Case Western Reserve University

COLUMBUS FUND:

* Denise Morrison, The Ohio State University

* Nathan Eick, The Ohio State University

* Abraham Hdongo, The Ohio State University

* Lara Wagner, Ohio University

* Kendrea Beers, Otterbein College

* Emerald Sparks, The Ohio State University

* Jessica Stevens, The Ohio State University

* Michelle Rohrs, Ohio University

* Philip Slawson, Otterbein College

* Rebecca Fiorini, The Ohio State University

* Kristine Bevek, The Ohio State University

DAYTON FUND:

* Lauren Huml, University of Dayton

* Jeffrey Szkody, Wright State University

* Michael Witt, University of Dayton

LIMA AREA FUND:

* Logan Kreais, The University of Findlay

* Samantha Lawrence, Bluffton University

* Nicole Heyne, The University of Findlay

* Travis Trentman, University of Dayton

* Lynn Hailer, Defiance College

* Kelsey Bryan, McComb High School

* Jill Wildermuth, Indian Lake High School

* Kelsey Wuebker, Fort Recovery High School

* Leah Gerding, Kalida High School

MAHONING VALLEY FUND:

* Ashley Tonkovich, Youngstown State University

* Mary Toomey, Youngstown State University

MIAMI VALLEY FUND:

* Nicole Hartman, Miami University

* Abby Minneman, Miami University

* Stacy Moss, Miami University

* Britney Peters, Miami University

* Nicole Turosky, Miami University

* Matthew Williams, Miami University

NORTH CENTRAL FUND:

* Natasha Glodek, Hiram College

* Kathleen Novik, Marion Technical College

* Sherry Wood, North Central State College

SPRINGFIELD FUND:

* Ashlyn Schneider

TOLEDO FUND:

* Tracy Chamberlin, The University of Toledo

* Sara Greenwald, Bowling Green State University

* Jackie Overmyer, Tiffin University

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