Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Students Compete In Annual “Best Practices” Competition
Students from the Stonehill Chapter of the Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honor Society took part in the society's annual Deloitte LLP “Best Practices” competition placing second.
Students from the Stonehill Chapter of the Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honor Society traveled to Baltimore to take part in the society’s annual Deloitte LLP “Best Practices” competition. Students Whitney Wemett ’16, Christopher McNamara ’16, Anthony Cavazza ’16, Kenneth Gillpatrick ’16, Kayla McNulty ’17, and Alexandra Esposito ’17, along with faculty advisor Professor Michael Mullen, competed in two categories in the competition, placing second in each.
McNamara, Wemett, and Esposito presented on "Leadership and Management" and discussed how the Stonehill chapter of Beta Alpha Psi has exemplified those ideals through projects such as restructuring the chapter's executive board to include more positions.
“This allowed for more opportunities for leadership roles,” noted McNamara. The team also discussed the importance of community service work and the role it plays in successful leadership and management. The chapter took part in several volunteer activities this past year including service at My Brother's Keeper and The Greater Boston Food Bank.
In the "Good or Great" category, Cavazza, Gillpatrick, and McNulty presented how the chapter differentiates itself and what makes it great." The group discussed the chapter's international project, which involves a blog they created which allows members and candidates who are abroad to share their experiences with the rest of the chapter. They also presented on the chapter's alumni advisory board, their involvement with mentoring Iona College's petitioning chapter, as well as competitions they’ve participated in including the EY Inclusive Leadership competition and the Grant Thornton Ethics competition.
Coinciding with the “Best Practices” competition, the students visited Washington, D.C. where they visited FBI Headquarters, the Capitol Building (courtesy of Massachusetts Representative Bill Keating and his staff), and met with Stonehill alumnus David Simas ’92, assistant to the President and director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, who gave them a tour the White House’s West Wing.
“This was clearly one of the highlights of my college career,” said McNamara about the visit with Simas. “Working 90 hours a week for the last seven years defines Simas' dedication and service to his country,” he continued.
The experience enlightened the students about the importance of being passionate about their careers. “Upon graduating this May I know that the work I will do at PwC may seem overwhelming at times, but I will think back to our meeting with David and continue to be inspired by his perseverance to keep moving forward” said Wemett, who will begin a full-time role at PwC after working as an Incoming Assurance Associate for the company since August.