AIM Accounting Alliance: Professional Community at The University of Tennessee
By Anna Ayers, Knoxville Chapter TSCPA Student Ambassador
If I have learned anything from my time at The University of Tennessee, it is that community is crucial. Going to a school with 28,000 students can be incredibly intimidating at times. In order to truly thrive and reach your full potential at such a large school, it is so important to find a group of like-minded people to spend your days with. For me, this group has been the AIM Accounting Alliance at UTK.
Without AIM, I would not be the student, professional or person I am today. This group set the foundation for my career in accounting by teaching me what the profession really looks like in the real world, instead of just what is learned in the classroom. I could learn all there is to know about debits and credits, but without AIM, I would still not actually know what an accountant does when they clock in every day.
This group has been a welcoming place for all students seeking to know more about the accounting profession. While there are other organizations on campus dedicated to accounting, we are the only one without an age or GPA requirement. This creates an unintimidating environment conducive to learning where no one feels afraid to ask questions.
I have had the privilege to serve as an officer for the AIM Accounting Alliance, both as a treasurer and now an advisor. Because the organization is so new, our team of officers had to lay a lot of the groundwork for the organization. It taught me how much work, planning and passion must go into making even the smallest event go smoothly. Now as an adviser, I get the opportunity to serve as a resource to the current officer board. The other advisers and I have made ourselves available for when officers have questions, both big and small, about running the organization. This relationship is especially important in our organization because we serve primarily younger students just beginning their accounting curriculum, and our officers also tend to be underclassmen. This form of mentoring between former officers and current officers is something I hope continues within AIM for years to come.
Like most professions, your network is one of your most important resources. This is especially true for CPAs. I am so proud to be a part of the AIM Accounting Alliance that realizes this and strives to help create a community among accounting students at The University of Tennessee.