High School Students Explore Career Opportunities in Discover Accounting Program
TSCPA’s high school outreach initiative, the Discover Accounting Program, is coming to college campuses around Tennessee this fall for the first time since 2019. The program is a free one-day field trip that provides high school students with a chance to explore the many opportunities within the accounting profession through hands-on learning activities and face-to-face conversations with CPAs.
This year’s first event was held on Sept. 16 at the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) campus. Seventy-one high school students attended from the East Tennessee region. The schools represented were Cherokee High School, Dobyns-Bennett High School, Sullivan East High School and West Ridge High School.
TSCPA member Melody Peace, CPA, spoke to the students about the accounting career path and the variety of opportunities that can come with it. “I love getting to meet the students and answering their questions,” said Peace, who works as senior manager, Regulatory Assurance and Compliance at Tennessee Valley Authority. “Accounting has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to have so many different career experiences – I call them adventures,” she continued. “I enjoy sharing my story with the students to let them know there is more to this profession than public accounting – there are opportunities in the private sector, governments and nonprofits, as well as opportunities for students interested in taking an entrepreneurial path.”
TSCPA member Dr. Michelle Freeman, CPA, associate professor of accountancy and graduate coordinator of the Master of Accountancy program at ETSU, also spoke at the event. Dr. Freeman shared tips on how to be a successful student, advice on preparing for college and what the accounting major looks like. “The program creates a win-win situation for high school students and university accounting programs,” she said. “It provides students the opportunity to discover more about the accounting profession from college professors and CPAs from the region. They also get to spend a day on a college campus,” she continued. “The program also provides universities the opportunity to showcase both their accounting program as well as their facilities. Students can meet professors and make connections while they are still in high school, giving them a direct line of communication if they have questions about their career paths. It’s a great recruiting opportunity for both the profession and the university!”
Eight TSCPA members also shared their experiences with the students in small groups during a round-robin activity. After the program, all of the students took a tour of ETSU’s campus and had lunch in the dining hall.
Peace believes the Discover Accounting Program can make an impact in recruiting for the profession during a time when maintaining the pipeline has been a concern. “I had a student who attended Discover Accounting at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville that heard me speak, came to the round-robin session and asked me about internships at Tennessee Valley Authority. He ended up becoming one of our employees,” she said.
For the 2022-23 school year, the Discover Accounting Program will be at Middle Tennessee State University on Nov. 4, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on Nov. 11, Christian Brothers University on Dec. 2 and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on March 3. For those unable to attend the upcoming in-person events, virtual Discover Accounting resources are available on the TSCPA website. Educators may also request a CPA speaker to visit their students in their classrooms.
For questions about TSCPA’s Discover Accounting Program, contact TSCPA Students and Emerging Professionals Manager Megan Williams at mwilliams@tscpa.com or 615-377-3825.