Scholarship Update

Spring quarter is starting back up at campuses around Washington. The pressure is increasing to notify all eligible students of the amazing opportunity they have to nab $5,000-8,000 to help offset their college tuition. The Washington CPA Foundation scholarship deadline is February 14 and our hope is that students who plan to apply are securing their letters of recommendation now, since that is usually the most difficult hurdle and requires some lead time.

To encourage students to apply early, the WSCPA awarded four $25 Amazon™ gift cards to students who began their application by December 20. If you know any eligible students, please encourage them to apply. The eligibility guidelines and application can be found at www.wscpa.org/scholarship.

Scholarship Reviewer Search

The Washington CPA Foundation is proud to be able to offer over $500,000 in awards this year, but we are even more proud of our WSCPA members who rise to the challenge every year and offer their assistance in this important undertaking. As students begin embarking down their path to becoming CPAs, we can’t think of a better group to review applications and help us identify the rising stars of the profession. Application reviews occur in two rounds beginning in mid-February and ending in late March. We are always looking for new reviewers to join our team.

This year will be our third year reviewing applications online. Each year reviewers tell us the process gets easier and more streamlined. During the review periods, reviewers can access their assigned applications any time, from anywhere they have access to the Internet for ultimate flexibility. We’ll provide you with training on navigating the online platform and scoring applications. In the first round of scholarship review, reviewers score full applications, which include general academic information, résumés, transcripts, a recommendation letter, and three short essays.

Each application takes 30 minutes on average to read and score. In the second round, reviewers look at essays only and spend an average of 10 minutes per application on final scoring. There is typically a third and final round of review with voluntary participation from reviewers if they would like to vote online, or attend an in-person session to discuss applications. Reviewers are also invited to our annual Foundation Scholarship Reception in Bellevue where they can meet scholarship winners from across the state.

Last year’s reviewers indicated that they spent an average of 21 hours reviewing applications over the month and a half review period. The maximum time indicated from volunteers was 30 hours. Pete Miller, CPA, Chair of the Scholarship Committee and a Washington CPA Foundation Trustee, has reviewed applications for many years and encourages others to get involved. “The accounting profession has given so much to me and serving on the scholarship review committee has been a wonderful way to give back to the profession and pay it forward to the next generation of accountants. Whether you are a seasoned WSCPA volunteer or this is your first time, you can help make a significant impact for these students.” To sign up as a reviewer or get more information about the process, please contact me.

Monette Anderson is the Manager of Student Initiatives for the WSCPA. You can contact her at manderson@wscpa.org or 425.586.1118.

This article appeared in the winter 2019 issue of the WashingtonCPA Magazine. Read more here.