NEW YORK – (April 6, 2016) – Certified public accountants do more than just taxes. Every summer, for some 30 years, the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) does their best to show high school juniors the fun of this profession.
This June and July, it will be no different as the NYSSCPA’s Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP) program will be held at nine university and college campuses across New York State. Applications are available now for this free college-readiness/explore accounting summer program. Deadline to apply is May 18.
As an extra incentive, $10,000 college scholarships are being offered to all attendees that graduate high school the following year, attend a New York State college and major in accounting.
COAP is a three-to-five-day summer program that introduces youth – specifically those in groups historically underrepresented in the accounting profession – to the possibilities of becoming a CPA. Students are housed in dormitories, fed at college cafeterias and participate in a tailored curriculum of business and personal development courses that include mock interviews, resume tips, dressing for success while also visiting corporations, accounting firms and government agencies to gain exposure to the day-to-day business world.
Many of the students learn how CPAs work in a variety of fields including healthcare, technology, real estate, investing, law enforcement, entertainment and sports. In past years, some of the attendees have taken field trips to visit with accountants and financial officers at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label; Supreme Chocolatier, a Staten Island candy manufacturer and retailer; and New Era Cap, the official on-field baseball cap supplier for Major League Baseball and the National Football League among other places.
Costs for each student’s meals, transportation and housing are paid in full by the NYSSCPA’s non-profit educational initiative, The Moynihan Fund, which provides funding for COAP and the Society's annual college academic scholarships. The program targets high school juniors, but exceptions are occasionally made for an outstanding senior or sophomore – see video here.
This year, COAP will be held at nine college campuses across New York with more than 20 students at each site which include:
- Adelphi University: Saturday, June, 25 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016
- State University of New York (SUNY) University at Buffalo: Sunday, June 26 - Thursday, June 30, 2016
- SUNY University at Albany: Monday, June 27 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016
- Long Island University – Brooklyn: Sunday, June 26 - Thursday, June 30, 2016 (tentative)
- Pace University – Manhattan: Saturday, June 25 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016
- St. John’s University – Queens: Sunday, June 26 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016
- Rochester Institute of Technology: Sunday, June 26 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016
- Westchester Community College: Monday, June 27 - Thursday June 30, 2016
- SUNY at Oswego: Sunday, June 26 - Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Participants in the COAP program are eligible to apply for a COAP College Scholarship, which provides $2,000 per year for up to five years to students studying accounting at a college or university in New York State with the goal of becoming a CPA. The program has graduated more than 3,500 students since its inception in 1987.
Kelvin Joseph, the current Chief Operating Officer of Steiner Sports, the chief memorabilia company of the New York Yankees, participated in the Society COAP program at Pace University’s COAP in the late ‘90s, when he was a junior at Walt Whitman High School. After earning his bachelor’s in business administration in 2001, Joseph worked at Ernst and Young before he started working at Steiner Sports, where he currently oversees the daily operations of the company as well as the strategic direction of all sales and business development operations.
Nadia-Marie Matthie, CPA, and Iona College graduate, attended the COAP at Long Island University - Brooklyn in 1993 and was recruited by KPMG as a college student. Since then, she has been employed at the Big 4 accounting firm for more than 18 years and is currently a partner in the firm’s Financial Services Practice.
This coming May 19 at Chelsea Piers in New York City, the NYSSCPA will host an inaugural fundraiser - The Moynihan Fund Gala – a black-tie (optional) social featuring dinner by celebrity chef Abigail Kirsch and a Grammy Award-winning performance by legendary singer Dionne Warwick in New York City. All proceeds from the event will go to The Fund, which aims to expand the number of students participating in COAP and increase the number of scholarships given each year.
For more information about COAP, please go to nysscpa.org/coap or email questions to coap@nysscpa.org. Media members interested in more information and photos from past COAP programs, should contact Maya Lindsay, mlindsay@nysscpa.org.
ABOUT THE NYSSCPA
Founded in 1897, the NYSSCPA, nysscpa.org, is the premiere professional accounting association for more than 28,000 members residing and practicing in New York State, encompassing all areas of public practice including in government, education, technology, non-profits, real estate, healthcare and industry. It is the oldest – and the third largest such state society organization - in the United States.
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