The Illinois CPA Society announced that 30 minority accounting college students have graduated from its 2020 Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program.
Now in its ninth year, the Internship Preparation Program is funded by donations to the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois’ Mary T. Washington Wylie Opportunity Fund. The program honors the legacy of Mary T. Washington, the first African-American female CPA in the country, by advancing diversity in the profession and providing opportunities for minority accounting students to succeed.
The program was held virtually from Jan. 6 – Jan. 8, 2021. Representatives from firms including the Big Four, Crowe and Grant Thornton led training sessions and conducted interviews for a range of paid accounting internships. All participating students also received a $500 scholarship to go toward their educational expenses.
“It was incredible to watch these students become more motivated, confident and better prepared to excel in the accounting and finance profession as each day passed,” said Kari Natale, senior director of the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, in a statement. “If this class of scholars proves to be like the others that have come before, these emerging young professionals will truly accomplish things they never realized were possible.”
The 2020 Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program class, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
- Masarrah Alsagher – University of Illinois at Chicago
- Japhet Bampelenga – Southern Illinois University
- Omidullah Barikzay – Augustana College
- Tionne Battee – Northern Illinois University
- Christian Cops – University of Illinois at Chicago
- Brittany Frausto – Governors State University
- Bernard Gilmore – DePaul University
- Alexa Gonzalez – Illinois State University
- Olivia Gunter – Triton College
- Rexesha Hollis – University of St. Francis
- Deandre Johnson – University of St. Francis
- Michael Johnson – University of St. Francis
- Anthony Moore – Kishwaukee College
- Makkah Mujahid – Northern Illinois University
- Robert Ndaye Muange – University of Illinois at Springfield
- Sebastian Nunez – Arrupe College
- Isaiah Olmos – Roosevelt University
- Beauty Olonilua – Northern Illinois University
- Lolade Onasanya – Harold Washington College
- Kaydan Pascual – DePaul University
- Isabel Rocha – DePaul University
- David Rubio – Northeastern Illinois University
- Osvaldo Ruiz – Aurora University
- Angel Scott – Governors State University
- Sila Shahab – DePaul University
- Mitzi Soto – Governors State University
- Kashane Taylor – Roosevelt University
- Joao Tobias Palmeira – Southern Illinois University
- Dylan Webb – Governors State
- Nicholas Wilhoite – Northeastern Illinois University
For more on the Mary T. Washington Preparation Program, head to the ICPAS’ site here.
