“I enjoyed going to Monsanto,” said Peyton DeShay, 15, a student at North Tech High School. “It was interesting going to the labs and seeing all the things they created from simple things like soy beans and corn. You can still be an accountant while working in labs.”
An alumnus of the inaugural Accounting Career Awareness Program, sponsored by the National Association of Black Accountants – St. Louis Metropolitan Chapter, DeShay was one of seven students who returned to the program in its second year to address current students at the YWCA-Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center.
The program offers tours at major area employers such as Edward Jones, Monsanto and Boeing that give students a glimpse of how accounting is used in actual work settings.
At the closing banquet, students presented Power Point presentations in groups on lessons they learned from the program.
“I got to experience a new field,” said Bailei Johnson, 14, a student at Lutheran North High School. “It was a great opportunity.”
Most mentioned that “accounting is the language of business” because they all came to understand how all businesses rely on the skills of accountants to successfully operate.
The Accounting Career Awareness Program is a free campus residency program held during the last week of July. It targets college-bound students in public and private high schools throughout the St. Louis region. The program’s mission is to introduce students to careers in accounting, finance, economics, technology and management to increase minority representation in these fields.
The program offered a crash course introduction to college life. Most activities were held on-campus at Harris-Stowe State University. Students resided in dorms for the first time throughout the program’s duration.
“Go to the program. It’s fun,” said Antwon Harris, 15, of Christian Brothers College High School. He said his best experience was “meeting new friends and getting to know them.”
“Accounting isn’t boring, and we’re not a bunch of geeks,” said Arica Harris, CISA, of Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, only 8 percent of CPAs are minorities. However, the job outlook is bright for accountants and auditors. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow 16 percent from 2010 to 2020.
This year, 20 students participated in the program and several expressed an interest to pursue an accounting career after completing the program. Eyaan Mahone, 16, a student at McCluer North High school, was one of those students.
“I wanted to be a veterinarian before this,” Mahone said. “Steven Harris and his wife were big influences on me.”
Harris, a CPA at RubinBrown, is the immediate past president of the National Association of Black Accountants – St. Louis Metropolitan Chapter. The current president is Jeanice Baker of Monsanto.
At the graduation event, activities included a professionals in accounting panel discussion, a discussion of accounting in college presented by Labi Tiamiyu of Harris-Stowe State University, and a financial literacy presentation by PNC Bank.
Arica Harris presented a workshop on scholarships, financial aid and college applications. Trish Bourrage, a CPA at Boeing, presented on networking. Jeannetta Davidson of Delmar Lutheran Family and Children Services presented on interviewing skills and non-verbal communications.
NABA maintains ongoing contact with participants after the program’s completion through mentorship and alumni programs. These programs monitor academic progress, as well as personal and career development.
NABA will accept applications for next year’s program between January and February of 2013. Students must be entering sophomores, juniors or seniors with at least a 2.5 G.P.A., submit a high school transcript and provide two letters of recommendation. The application requires approval from the student’s parents and school counselor.
For more information, contact Trish O’Bannon at acapstl@naba-stl.org.
