Ohio CPA Foundation scholarship recipients excited to make their mark on the profession

By Cecilia Yontz, OSCPA marketing & communications intern 

College students have a long list of expenses to consider, which is why a scholarship from The Ohio CPA Foundation can have an invaluable impact on their life.  

“It meant a lot,” said Stephanie Bowers, a senior accounting major at Wright State University. “I am paying for college on my own, and I'm trying to avoid loans as much as possible. And so, when I got the call that I had received it, I was just so grateful. And I felt really blessed to have that opportunity.” 

Bowers and Emily Stout, two of this year’s scholarship recipients, spoke to the impact the scholarships had on their life. Joining them are another 23 outstanding and impressive accounting students (list below) who also received $2,000 to encourage them on their way to becoming CPAs. Supporting these students is a key priority of The Ohio CPA Foundation, which will award more than $70,000 in scholarships to college accounting majors and high school students who attend career awareness programs. 

Bowers plans to graduate this December with her undergraduate degree before returning to Wright State to begin a Master of Accountancy program.  

Bowers is also an OSCPA student ambassador and teaches other students about the profession and how they can get involved. She said that being a student ambassador made receiving this scholarship even more rewarding because of her passion.  

Stout is a senior majoring in accounting, business analytics and business prelaw at Ohio University. Like Bowers, she is also an OSCPA student ambassador. As a student ambassador and an undergraduate senior, receiving a scholarship was incredibly meaningful to her.   

“It really does mean a lot this time because now that I'm going into my graduate program for the Master of Accounting, I don't have nearly as many opportunities for scholarships,” said Stout. “I try to put a lot of effort into OSCPA and get students involved and get more people learning about accounting. It's great that effort is recognized and I'm glad to be a two-time recipient now.”  

Stout plans to complete the Master of Accountancy program and graduate in 2024 and have her CPA license by the time she graduates. She said she’d like to stay involved in OSCPA and get other students involved too. 

Join The Ohio CPA Foundation in supporting future CPAs either through a generous gift, or by establishing a scholarship in honor of a colleague or mentor.  

If you are a college accounting student looking to apply for 2024 scholarships, click here for more information! 

Scholarship Recipients: