ACLA Scholarship recipient finds clarity on desired career path

By Cecilia Yontz, OSPCA marketing and communications intern 

A senior accounting major at Cleveland State University found inspiration in the speaker presentations at the recent Accounting Careers Leadership Academy (ACLA) in November.  

Moore first heard about ACLA after attending OSCPA’s Women, Wealth & Wellness Conference earlier in the year. As a non-traditional student, Moore was unsure what to expect from the conference as she noted that most conferences centered around college students are garnered towards traditional students. However, she was glad to see that her uncertainties soon faded. 

The second speaker at ACLA, Chris Igodan, CFO, corporate solutions at Nationwide, gave a presentation that also resonated with Moore. Igodan stressed the importance of yearning for growth and being uncomfortable with monotony within both your personal and professional life. This helped Moore to reevaluate her post-graduation plans.  

“It really helped me solidify exactly how I'm going to go about pursuing the CPA license,” said Moore. “It's true, you can't get upset if things don't go your way, you just have to keep progressing within your career.” 

While at the conference, Moore was awarded a scholarship from Deloitte. Being able to receive a scholarship meant a lot to her because it helped her find the time to focus on herself and her career. 

“Instead of just focusing solely on work and school, I was able to focus on discovering the type of career I want to have because I didn’t have to work a second job anymore,” said Moore. “To me, it didn’t just help me pay for school, it helped me get clarity on the career that I want.” 

Moore graduated in December. She will finish the requirements for and study for the CPA exam this spring with plans of sitting for the first section by the end of the year.    

Find out more about the programs offered by The Ohio CPA Foundation and how you can help attract the next generation of CPAs here.