UNM Anderson Students Win Scholarships to Attend National Accounting Conference
November 30, 2023 - Megan Borders
Kevin Crown, a third-year undergraduate accounting major at Anderson, recently received the Wild West Council Student Leadership Conference Scholarship. Beating out candidates from across the Southwest, Crown was awarded funding to attend last month's Institute of Management Accountants Conference in Detroit. In addition, three other Anderson students received IMA scholarships. Seniors Christopher Baca, Reece Davis and Allyssa Dean were awarded funding by IMA that covered their conference registration fees.
The IMA is one of the largest associations focusing exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession, so it provides a rich learning opportunity for accounting students. Applying for the scholarship was suggested by accounting professor Jonathan Jona. "Kevin demonstrated excellent leadership skills, and he talked about his aspirations in accounting. As soon as I heard about this scholarship, I thought about him and I encouraged him to apply," Jona said.
The three-day conference brought attendees from throughout the country to learn about topics including obtaining a CMA license, diversity in the workplace, and the environmental impacts of companies aiming for carbon neutrality. In addition to keynote sessions, Crown networked with other accounting students. "That was pretty nice, feeling like I could represent my school. It didn't feel like Anderson had a huge presence there, and I really enjoyed representing that," Crown said.
The positive experience at the conference inspired Crown to improve IMA's exposure to UNM students. He is taking action, becoming the president of the newly established IMA student chapter at UNM, where he aims to bring in guest speakers, talk to local businesses and create more opportunities for students to become involved in the accounting industry.