In just three days, 26 college accounting students from diverse backgrounds gained a significant advantage in launching their careers. They are the newest class of scholars to complete the Illinois CPA Society’s highly competitive Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program. During their winter break, program participants received specialized training, mentoring, and coaching aimed at helping them secure internships and become future accounting and finance professionals. Additionally, all participants received a $500 scholarship to help with educational expenses.
The program connected students with representatives from major companies and accounting firms who led sessions and conducted interviews for a variety of paid accounting internships. Professional partners included: Abbott, Crowe LLP, Deloitte LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, Grant Thornton LLP, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, KPMG LLP, PwC LLP, and Sikich LLP.
The Illinois CPA Society is proud to recognize the following 2020 Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program Scholars:
The Internship Preparation Program is funded by donations to the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois’ Mary T. Washington Wylie Opportunity Fund.
Mary T. Washington Wylie, a Chicagoan who graduated from Northwestern University, began her own accounting practice in a basement on the city’s South Side in 1939. She became the first African-American female CPA in the U.S. in 1943 and was a trailblazer for minorities entering the accounting profession. This program bearing her name advances diversity within the profession by building skills and presenting new opportunities for minority accounting students to be successful.
The CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1998 by Illinois CPA Society members. The Fund was created to ensure ongoing funding for scholarship and outreach programs. The programs are geared toward encouraging individuals to choose accounting as a career choice and achieve the CPA credential.
The Illinois CPA Society, with more than 23,200 members, is one of the largest state CPA societies in the nation. Our mission is dedicated to enhancing the value of the CPA profession through the strategic initiatives of advocacy, information, education and connections.
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Tags: Accounting
