Sept. 30, 2020

A number of accounting undergraduate and graduate students recently received scholarships and fellowships from the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants for the 2020-21 academic year.

The award recipients included:

• Joshua Leinheiser, junior accounting and international business major with a concentration in Chinese business from Ponte Vedra, Florida, member of St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn, Carolina Judicial Council and the Student Government Elections Commission — received the Burkett, Burkett & Burkett CPA, PA Scholarship and SCACPA Scholarship. Leinheiser says, “This scholarship will encourage me to fulfill my academic potential to the best of my ability and give me peace of mind knowing part of my tuition expense has been paid for. I can't let this opportunity go to waste!
• Taylor Lewis, junior accounting major with finance cognate from Lexington, South Carolina — received the C.C. McGregor Scholarship and SCACPA Scholarship. Lewis says, “This scholarship will support my education at the Moore School by setting me on track to become a CPA. It is an honor to be recognized by the South Carolina Association of CPAs because I worked very hard to obtain these awards. It motivates me to finish strong in my academic career and to take my passion for hard work and integrity into my professional accounting career.”  
• Georgia Modla, junior accounting student with a concentration in data analytics from Rock Hill, South Carolina, member of Delta, Delta Delta fraternity, Beta Alpha Psi and co-president of the Net Impact Club — received the Carlisle Moore Scholarship and SCACPA Scholarship. Modla says, “These scholarships mean so much to me because I can use the awards to further my studies in the accounting field and begin studying for the GMAT to hopefully obtain my MACC in the near future.” 
• Garrett Jones, first year master’s student from Chesapeake, Virginia, member of Beta Alpha Psi — received the Central Chapter of SCACPA Graduate Scholarship. Jones says, “his scholarship will support me by allowing me to focus fully on my studies rather than having to get a part time job.”
• Taylor Dunkley, senior accounting student with a minor in philosophy from Columbia, South Carolina — received the Central Chapter of SCACPA Scholarship. “I am so grateful for this scholarship, as it will allow me to focus on my studies and finish my senior year without having to worry about paying for school. Additionally, this scholarship has helped encourage me to pursue my Master in Accountancy degree (Tax track) at the University of South Carolina next year.”
• Catherine Musselman, accounting master’s student from Duncan, South Carolina, a member of Beta Alpha Psi and is a graduate assistant — received the Coastal Chapter of SCACPA Scholarship and SCACPA Scholarship. Musselman says, “The SCACPA scholarship has helped ease the financial pressure of accomplishing another degree; I’m very grateful for the scholarship!”
• Molly Niermann, senior accounting and international business student with a minor in Spanish from North Charleston, South Carolina, member of Beta Alpha Psi — received the Edgar Vaughn Scholarship; SCACPA Scholarship. Niermann says, “This scholarship filled the last of my tuition requirements allowing me to have a "full ride" academic year!”
• Hannah Smith, first year master’s student from Summerville, South Carolina, member of Beta Alpha Psi — received the Francis Humphries Scholarship and SCACPA Scholarship. Smith says, "This scholarship helps take a load off my plate in order to help pay for tuition. There are so many other things to worry about when in grad school — like affording and taking the CPA exam — that SCACPA’s generous scholarship definitely helps me focus primarily on studies instead of financial concerns.”
• William Haigler, first year master’s student from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, member of Beta Alpha Psi — received the Joe Jackson Memorial Scholarship. Haigler says, “This scholarship from the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants will be used to help pay for my USC tuition bills and CPA examination fees.”
• Samantha Brink, accounting master’s student from Swedesboro, New Jersey, member of Beta Alpha Psi — received the John S. Herin Scholarship. Brink says, “This scholarship will help me to focus more of my time on my classes and future rather than worrying about finances and paying for school. Being awarded this scholarship also makes me feel more confident in my ability to do well in the master’s program while at the University of South Carolina.”
• Peyton Elmore, first year master’s student from Spartanburg, South Carolina, member of Beta Alpha Psi and is a graduate assistant — received the John S. Herin Scholarship. Elmore says, “This scholarship will allow me to stress less about how to fund my education and focus more on taking advantage of the opportunities available to me and learning as much as possible in my graduate program. I am so thankful to have received this award and so grateful to be a student in the MACC program at USC.”
• Sophia Gerstenberger, master’s student from Aiken, South Carolina, treasurer for Beta Alpha Psi — received the John S. Herin Scholarship. Gerstenberger says, “As graduate school is an extra year of expenses, this scholarship has helped alleviate some of the financial burden. This is my second year receiving a SCACPA scholarship, so it is incredibly encouraging for me to know that the members of SCACPA believe in me and my future as an accountant. I am looking forward to being able to be a member of SCACPA after college and help support other students.”
• Christine Sturm, first year master’s student from Denton, Maryland, member of Beta Alpha Psi — received the Sheheen Hancock & Godwin Scholarship and SCACPA Scholarship. Sturm says, “This scholarship will allow me to focus on my classes which will help me develop skills needed to excel in my career. Without the help of scholarships like these, I would not have the opportunity to advance my education. I am truly thankful for this opportunity and the support the SCACAP has provided.” 
• Patrick Hoan, master’s student from South Elgin, Illinois, member of Beta Alpha Psi, interned with Clark Eustace Wagner, PA, Wells Fargo and PriceWaterhouse Coopers — received the SCACPA Graduate Student Scholarship. Hoan says, “Being awarded SCACPA’s Graduate Student Scholarship is an honor and has allowed me to focus my time and energy on completing my degree while passing the four sections of the CPA exam before graduation. As you can imagine, the costs associated with a master’s degree, the professional CPA licensing exams, plus several professional education courses can be prohibitive. SCACPA’s generous support has helped not only me but countless others to bridge this financial gap. I am extremely thankful for SCACPA’s generous support!”
• Andrew Chang, senior accounting major with a concentration in data analytics from Columbia, South Carolina, member of Tau Sigma, Beta Alpha Psi and the Student Advisory Council — received the SCACPA Scholarship. Chang says, “I am truly grateful to SCACPA for providing this scholarship to progress further in my undergraduate journey. I also wish to thank all the accounting professors in the Darla Moore School of Business for guiding me and making this transition as smooth as possible. Living the life of an accounting student is no easy task, but the amount of assistance that resources like SCACPA provide for accounting students further encourages me to take on accounting opportunities both within the university and also outside the classroom. Some examples are my recent global classroom trip to London and my upcoming tax internship with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Eventually, I hope to also learn accounting globally when circumstances allow.” 
• Jackson Nietert, junior accounting and international business student from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, president of the USC College Democrats — received the SCACPA Scholarship. Nietert says, “This scholarship will help me over the course of this school year, especially as I prepare to study abroad this spring. It is excellent to have this affirmation of my work, and it encourages me to put forward my best effort this year.”
• William Simpson, junior majoring in accounting and minoring in Spanish from Simpsonville, South Carolina, member of Beta Alpha Psi, Carolinian Judicial Council and Esports club — received the SCACPA Scholarship. Simpson says, “It's encouraging that people who are already where I want to be are pulling us up. It speaks volumes about the accounting profession and pushes me to make the most out of my time at the university.”
• Sydney Torbett, junior majoring in accounting, minoring in actuarial science and mathematics from Lexington, South Carolina, member of Alpha Delta Pi and peer tutor for the Student Success Center — received the SCACPA Scholarship. Torbett says, “This scholarship will support my coursework as I progress towards participating in the Accelerated MACC program at the Darla Moore School of Business.  his will help me get on a fast track to earn my Masters of Accountancy degree.”
• Lanett Washington, master's student who received the SCACPA Scholarship. Washington did not respond to requests for comments.