Stone earns prestigious accounting scholarship

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Sophia Stone has earned a $15,000 scholarship to support her studies in accounting. Stone is pursuing a Master of Accountancy after earning her Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting in May.

She was selected by her faculty members as UNG's participant in the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholars Program.

The PCAOB Scholars Program is mandated by the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act regulating financial disclosures and is funded through monetary penalties collected as part of PCAOB enforcement actions. It seeks to benefit students who are likely to become auditors and to make a difference to students who might otherwise choose a different career path.

Stone took dual enrollment courses at UNG during high school before attending the University of Georgia (UGA) for one semester. During her one semester at UGA, she switched from pursuing a degree in international business to seeking a degree in accounting. Stone transferred to UNG in the spring of her freshman year.

"I'm a very meticulous person. Accounting felt right up my alley. You must be detail-oriented," Stone said. "There are so many opportunities in accounting as a whole. The more I learned about it, the more I wanted to keep going in it."

She has been actively involved in the Beta Alpha Psi honor society for financial information students, including those pursuing degrees in accounting. Stone also took part in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program as an undergraduate student. Her faculty mentors at UNG have been encouraging every step of the way.

After earning her bachelor's degree in three years, the scholarship was welcome news in Stone's pursuit of her master's degree.

"This provides me the relief to focus wholly on my studies. It allows me to be set up well for the CPA exam," Stone said. "It's a really nice vote of confidence from my professors. It shows my commitment to accounting and the integrity of the field. I hope to pay it forward in the future."

Dr. Ellen Best, interim associate dean of undergraduate programs in the Mike Cottrell College of Business and previous department head of Accounting & Law, met Stone right before she enrolled at UNG and has enjoyed seeing the student's growth.

"She's a really good example of someone who came in and took advantage of the opportunities UNG gives students," Best said.