As the start of the 2024-25 academic year looms, three accounting students from the Fox School of Business will have an additional title to their names once they return to Alter Hall: scholars.
Earlier this summer, Diya Daji, Cecilia Koffi and Alvina Liem were selected as scholars of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Selected through a competitive nomination process, they were each awarded a $15,000 scholarship for the 2024-25 academic year.
“I am so grateful to the PCAOB for their generosity and selecting me as a scholar for this year,” says Koffi, who is enrolled in the master of accountancy program. She anticipates completing her degree in the spring of 2025.
“A scholarship like this allows me to dedicate myself further to my efforts of becoming a certified public accountant.”
Since 2011, the PCAOB scholars' program has offered scholarships to undergraduate and graduate accounting students enrolled in accredited United States colleges and universities. The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies to protect investors and further the public interest in preparing informative, accurate and independent audit reports. In the 2023-24 academic year, 369 students were awarded scholarships through the program.
Fellow award recipients, Daji and Liem, both share similar sentiments to Koffi.
“A scholarship like this definitely takes some pressure off as I am ready to begin my senior year,” says Liem, who is set to graduate in spring 2025 with her bachelor's degree in accounting and minor in management information systems. “I am so proud to be recognized by the PCAOB.”
Daji, who plans to graduate in the spring of 2026 with her bachelor's degree in accounting, views the scholarship as a token of hard work.
“I am so excited to receive this wonderful accolade from the PCAOB,” says Daji. “To me, an honor like this reminds me that all the dedication and hard work for my education is worth it.”
Universities are considered eligible to submit scholar nominations to the program through institutional guidelines set forth by the PCAOB. Students were required to submit a short essay as part of the consideration process.
Steven Balsam, PhD, professor of accounting, Merves senior research fellow and department of accounting chair, nominated the students for the scholarship.
“I was thrilled to get the news that all three of our nominated students were selected as scholars for the PCAOB program,” says Balsam. “Alvina, Cecilia and Diya are all stellar representatives of our accounting programming here at Fox.”
“While I enjoy all aspects of being the chair in the accounting department, being able to nominate and see our hard-working and dedicated students recognized for their efforts, like through this scholarship, is easily one of my favorites.”
To learn more about the accounting programs at the Fox School of Business, visit here.