Master's accounting student earns scholarship, internship

Alhasan Idrees, a University of North Georgia (UNG) Master of Accountancy student, is one of 10 national winners of the George Willie Ethnically Diverse Student Scholarship & Internship.

The Private Companies Practice Section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) gives the awards. Idrees will take part in the internship with the Dean Dorton public accounting firm in Louisville, Kentucky, during the spring 2022 semester.

Idrees initially believed accounting would be a good field because he thought it had limited interactions. Even when he learned that was not the case, he stuck with his choice.

"I wasn't passionate about accounting in the beginning, but I fell in love with it," he said.

Idrees earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from UNG in spring 2021.

He credited Dr. Ellen Best, UNG department head of accounting, and Lisa Nash, lecturer of accounting and faculty adviser for Beta Alpha Psi, for the mentorship that made the AICPA scholarship and internship possible. Beta Alpha Psi is an international honor society for accounting, finance and information systems students.

"The faculty we have here all have so much experience outside of the classroom," Idrees said. "It gave me an overall picture of where I want to go. They have been in the industry. They know the language of accounting."

Best coached Idrees through the application process.

"Watching the success of my students is one of the biggest perks of this job," Best said. "I'm excited to see how Alhasan takes advantage of this opportunity."