By: Sean Luster, MBA candidate
Emmanuel Eze, a student in the accountancy master program, is the recipient of an AICPA scholarship award for minority accounting students.
Originally from Nigeria, Emmanuel has spent the past six years in the United States, spending some time in Baltimore, Maryland, before heading to Boise. He attended college in his home country for a few years, but wanted to move to the U.S. to gain more opportunities. After moving to Baltimore and a chance encounter with someone familiar with Idaho, Emmanuel applied to Boise State University and has not looked back since.
“I came, and it’s been phenomenal!” exclaimed Eze, as he described being welcomed by the Boise community and being exposed to resources that were not available in Nigeria. Although originally a computer science major, he fell in love with accounting after taking a few classes and he wants to change some of the stereotypes surrounding the field. Emmanuel enjoys socializing with people and absorbing what they have to say, commenting “when you listen to someone’s story, you learn from them.” He wants to be able to take his interpersonal mindset and apply it to the structure and order of accounting.
He is the first person in his family to attend college, and pursuing a master’s degree after earning his undergraduate degree in accounting makes his story even more special. Although still a student, Emmanuel already has a job lined up at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a public accounting firm where he will be able to use his pursuit of becoming a CPA to eventually work toward earning the title of senior associate.
The scholarship requires participation in the AICPA Legacy Scholars program, which includes at least eight hours of service planning and hosting on-campus events to advocate for the CPA profession. This means that Emmanuel will become a voice to help other prospective students find their career paths and work toward a successful future.
The AICPA, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is the world’s largest member association representing the accounting profession, and this scholarship program aims to help high-achieving minority accounting students pursue their education and ultimately become CPAs. This scholarship awarded 90 recipients up to $5,000 in 2016.