Sarah Dubek received her Bachelors degree in accounting from the
University
of
Utah
in May 2009 with Dean’s List Recognition and will start the Masters in
Accountancy Program, with an emphasis in tax, in the fall.
Post graduation Sarah would like to work in public accounting for a
local, smaller firm.
During her studies, Sarah has been a member of Beta Alpha
Psi and participates in a number of community service and volunteer activities
including Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Festival of Trees, Trick or
Treat Street
and Guadalupe School Dream Auction.
Sarah currently works for a small financial services
office, Financial Services Network. Her
job duties include office manager, payroll, tax preparation, customer services
and other administrative duties.
When Sarah is not engrossed in her studies or working she
enjoys camping, hiking, swimming, river rafting, reading, music and concerts,
and spending time with friends and family. In
the future she hopes to add traveling the world to this list.
Sarah is considered a good role model for young women
considering a career in accounting and was highly recommended for this
scholarship by the administration of the
University
of
Utah
.
Scholarship Recipient 2007-2008
Utah State University
Jennifer Gudmundson
Jennifer Gudmundson received her Bachelors degree in
accounting from
Utah
State
University
in December 2007. While obtaining
her degree she was in involved in the Associated Students of Utah State
University (“ASUSU”), which is an organization that acts as a liaison with
the University staff, faculty and administration to enhance the quality of
student life. As a member of the
ASUSU, Jennifer served as the University Chairman, Hockey Special Events
Coordinator and was an active member of the Intercollegiate Assembly of Student
Legislators.
Jennifer is currently a student in the Masters of
Accounting program at
Utah
State
University
and will graduate in December 2008. She
is an active member of Beta Alpha Psi and regularly participates in various
service projects such as VITA (volunteer income tax assistance).
She is also a student affiliate of the UACPA.
Since her sophomore year in college, Jennifer has been
working in the accounting field and has held various accounting positions at
multiple companies. Most recently
she worked for Thermo Fisher Scientific where she was an internal auditing
coordinator, financial analyst, capital assets clerk, and an accounts payable
and accounts receivable clerk. Currently
she is working for Conservice as an internal audit coordinator.
Jennifer has a job offer from Deloitte & Touche in
Salt Lake City
, where she interned for six months during 2007.
She plans to work for 3 to 5 years in public accounting before returning
to school to obtain here PhD in accounting.
Her future goal is to teach accounting at a University.
When Jennifer is not engrossed in her studies or working
she participates on the Utah State University Equestrian Team and has won 1st
place in various horse shows throughout
Montana
,
Idaho
,
Colorado
,
Wyoming
and
Utah
. She also enjoys golfing,
recreational rock climbing, snowboarding, skiing, repelling, wakeboarding,
4-wheeling, paint balling and various other adventure sports.
Jennifer is considered a good role model for young women
considering a career in accounting and was highly recommended for this
scholarship by the administration of
Utah
State
University
.
Scholarship Recipient 2005-2006
Weber State University
Lacey Scott
Lacey Scott has a B.S. in
Accounting from Utah State University. She graduated cum laude in 2004.
While in her undergraduate program, Lacey taught a supplemental instruction
class for financial accounting and often volunteered to tutor one-on-one.
Lacey was an active member of Beta Alpha Psi and was generous in donating her
time as a volunteer income tax assistant (VITA). Lacey continues to
volunteer as an income tax assistant in her free time.
Lacey has worked the
past two years at Hill Air Force Base as a contract negotiator, awarding over
$3 million in government contracts. On October 2nd she will be moving up
into the position of a price analyst. In addition to her
responsibilities at work, Lacey is involved with the National Contract
Management Association, NCMA, and is currently serving as the secretary of the
Greater Salt Lake Chapter.
Lacey is a student in
Weber State University's MBA program and will graduate in Spring 2007.
Lacey's cheerful attitude and "above & beyond" quality of work
set her apart from her peers. Several of Lacey's assignments have been
used as class examples. Lacey has been personally commended by her
professors, and she comes highly recommended for this scholarship.
Scholarship Recipient 2004-2005
Utah State University
Susan Atha
Susan will begin the Master’s of Accountancy (Macc) program at the Utah
State University College of Business in 2004. Susan graduated from USU in 1998
with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She then moved back to her home state
of Maryland, where she worked as a statistician for two years.
In high school, Susan felt inclined to get a degree in accounting, but one of
her math teachers talked her into getting a degree in math instead. After two
years of working as a statistician, Susan decided that her initial inclination
for a career in accounting would suit her personality better and provide more
options for career advancement. Susan then decided to go back to USU and pursue
a graduate education in accounting.
Susan currently lives in Logan and really enjoys the scenery and student life
there. After graduating, she would like to work in public accounting and get her
CPA license.
Scholarship Recipient 2003-04
Westminster College
Ashlee LaPine
Ashlee LaPine has just graduated from
Westminster College Suma Cum Laud with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and
minors in both Music and Theatre. She is now working in the budget department at
Intermountain Health Care where she works with the administration on various
financial and managerial projects. She is also operating her own business
teaching voice and musical theater. Over the last four years her accounting
background has helped her turn this home business from a dream into a successful
project where she has been able to hire several employees. In her free time, she
teaches acting for the Salt Lake City Children's Theater, and she has been seen
in leading roles in theaters across the valley. These include Maria in Hale
Center Theatre's West Side Story, Fiona in Rodgers Memorial Theatre's Brigadoon,
Margie in the Grand Theater's State Fair, and she is making her professional
debut in Pioneer Memorial Theater's Evita this May. She is looking forward to
pursuing graduate school in the future and hopes to encourage and educate more
young women on the amazing opportunities that accounting can hold for them.
Scholarship Recipient 2002-03
Weber State University
Audrey Slabbert
Audrey will begin the audit track of
the Master’s of Professional Accountancy at Weber State University this spring
semester. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and moved to Utah four years
ago. After high school, she studied music at the University of Cape Town, and
was the first woman in South Africa to earn a French horn teaching licentiate
from the Royals Schools of Music, London. She has played in various symphony
orchestras, and given recitals across the country while serving in the South
African Police Force Symphonic Band. While raising her children she taught music
privately, and ran her music store, National Musical Instruments. Before leaving
South Africa, she had specialized in teaching kindergarten through the
University of South Africa (UNISA), had taught English as a Second Language to
underprivileged children in outreach programs, and had a fulltime teaching post
at a private girls’ school.
Soon after arriving in Utah, Audrey
began attending Weber State with the intention of fulfilling the requirements
needed to be able to teach in the United States. Yet, while taking an American
History of Economics class, she fell in love with the concepts of American
capitalism, and began an undergraduate degree in accounting, which she completed
this past December. She believes that the structure of American capitalism makes
it possible for people to achieve their dreams, and that an understanding of
accounting is a vital aspect of building successful businesses.
Since returning to school she has
worked at the university managing grants for the Center for Science and Math
Education, and has taught financial accounting as a supplemental instructor at
the Goddard School of Business. Audrey is a member of the Golden Key National
Honors Society, and Beta Alpha Psi. She has recently started an accounting
internship with VanTienderen, Carter and Bolander P.C. in Salt Lake City.
Audrey resides in Layton with her
husband, Eben, and two teenagers, Holly and Dale. Her oldest son, Heber, is
currently serving a mission in Houston, Texas for the LDS Church. Audrey is an
avid genealogist, and continues to share her musical talents by serving as a
church organist.
Sincere Thanks to the AWSCPA:
In preparing for the move to Utah from
South Africa four years ago, I tried to imagine the opportunities and challenges
I would face in a new country. I knew it would be difficult to leave the
familiar, and move out of my comfort zone. Little did I know the caliber of
people with whom I would be privileged to associate. Utahans have proven to be
generous, compassionate, and caring.
As Stephen Covey points out in his Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People, the habit of thinking win/win produces
the endowment of an abundance mentality. This approach engenders feelings of
intrinsic self-worth and a desire for mutual benefit. We have learnt that we, as
human beings, have tremendous potential, and that by using our resources we can
empower and profit each other. How grateful I am to be recipient of your
endowment, as it assists me in achieving my life-time goal of living here in
Utah.
I wish to express my sincere
appreciation to the members of the Utah AWSCPA who generously contributed to
this scholarship. I look forward to the time when I will have the opportunity to
repay this kindness.
Audrey Slabbert
Scholarship Recipient 2000-01
University of Utah
Jia Xu
Jia received her Bachelors of Engineering from the University
of Petroleum in Beijing China with her Major in International Accounting. Jia
then came to the United States to advance her accounting skills to include U.S.
taxation and auditing, which she could not learn in China. Jia received her
Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and information
systems from the University of Utah in May, 2002. As Jia’s ultimate goal is
consulting and auditing, she is currently working on getting a Masters of
Professional Accountancy from the University of Utah and is expected to graduate
in the Spring of 2003.
While attending school in China, Jia worked as a program
director at the University broadcast station. In addition, she also had an
accounting internship with an International Corporation. Jia also worked as a
volunteer tutor with the World Link Education Program.
While attending the University of Utah, Jia has worked for the
Chinese Student and Scholarship Association. Jia is currently working as a
research assistant intern at the State of Utah Department of Commerce, Division
of Public Utilities and resides in Salt Lake City.