The NC CPA Foundation’s scholarships have opened doors for over 1,800 aspiring CPAs, empowering them to focus on their studies and pursue their professional goals. From funding educational expenses to offsetting costs of the CPA Exam, the Foundation’s support makes a lasting impact.
Look at some powerful stories that show how the Foundation is transforming lives and strengthening the profession’s future.
Mercy
Mercy T.
Thanks to NC CPA Foundation scholarship, I was able to register for the CPA exam and my goal of becoming a CPA is finally going to become a reality.
Adele
Adele C.
Thank you for the great news and for the generous scholarship! What an exciting way to end my semester.
Jim
Jim D.
I am so thankful to be selected again for this scholarship. I am more than appreciative of the NC CPA Foundation and look forward to my continuous involvement with the organization throughout my career.
Edward
Edward S.
This award challenges me and gives me the motivation to put much more effort into my studies to obtain the Master’s and earn a CPA designation.
Taylor
Taylor T.
Without the support and help I have received from you and the community; I would never have had the chance to go back to school with the goal of a successful future as an Accountant.
Tarlia
Tarila I.
Thank you so much for your generosity. It is an honor to be chosen for the NC CPA Foundation – Scholarship. I am truly grateful for the scholarship support. This scholarship allows me to work less hours and focus on my studies.
Sloan
Sloan R.
Thank you so much! I appreciated the NCACPA’s support last year, and I very much appreciate you all still supporting me this year. It means so much that your organization sees potential in me & wants to support my goals!
Jaelyn
Jaelyn W.
This scholarship has allowed me to stay on track with my education, and it continues to serve as a reminder to keep working hard and to persist during hard times.
David
David C.
The NC CPA Foundation scholarship I received gave me the opportunity to pursue this dream and show my children that it is never too late to learn.
Juliana
Julianna L.
This is such great news at the perfect time!! I’m in the middle of final exam season and this was the perfect boost of confidence I needed. Thank you and the NC CPA Foundation’s Board of Directors so much for choosing me for such an impactful and honorable scholarship award! I’m so flattered to have been chosen and I look forward to putting this award to good use in my academic career.
Autumn
Autumn K.
This scholarship is giving me the hope, desire, and drive to become the first in my family to graduate from a four-year university. I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to continue my education path of becoming a CPA and this award helps immensely to make my dream possible.
Khali
Khali M.
Pursuing a Master’s degree and being an Accountant one day has been my dream since I was a little kid. I am forever grateful for this scholarship opportunity, the Foundation Board, and the future of my accounting career!
Powerful Stories from Prior NC CPA Scholarship Recipients
When promising students are supported financially through scholarships, their lives are transformed and they are empowered to make positive impacts across entire communities. By sharing the stories of past winners, we aim to show how these scholarships have advanced their careers and contributed to the vitality of the accounting profession.
Join us in exploring these inspiring journeys and see the real difference your support makes.
A Father-Son Duo Pursuing Accounting Together
| The Cockman family’s journey into the accounting profession is a remarkable—and somewhat nontraditional—tale. David and Joseph, a father-son duo, discovered their passion for accounting at different stages of life, yet shared a common milestone in 2023 when they both received scholarships from the NC CPA Foundation. Their unique bond, forged through a mutual love for numbers and data, serves as an inspiration for aspiring accounting professionals, regardless of age or career stage. Their shared passion first sparked when Joseph took an online accounting course his senior year of high school. David, who had always loved working with numbers and money, became intrigued watching his son learn the concepts. |  |
Joseph’s interest in accounting blossomed from his father’s guidance and his own natural affinity for numbers and data. He gravitated towards activities that brought fulfillment in high school, including sports, playing music, and participating with his church family. Joseph graduated with strong academic results and continued his education at his dream school, Lenior Rhyne University.
Meanwhile, 20+ years after receiving an associate’s degree in furniture design and manufacturing from Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC), David took online classes at CVCC and later transferred to Fayetteville State University for his accounting and banking/finance bachelor’s degrees. David says, “I searched for a university that offered an affordable, online accounting degree. Fayetteville State University offered just that and more. Their staff and professors were outstanding and such a joy to work with. I have had such an overwhelmingly wonderful experience and would recommend FSU to anyone.”
Joseph currently has a paid internship that is providing valuable experience, giving him momentum for taking the next steps in his career. Looking ahead, he plans to pursue his master’s and CPA license to become a tax specialist. David hopes to work as a cost accountant, finance manager, or controller, and dreams of one day running a community business alongside his wife and three children.
In an interview, David and Joseph shared more about the scholarship’s impact, advice for students, and how the experience has further shaped their relationship. And, of course, it would not be a father-son story without some light-hearted humor. When describing how this experience has impacted him, David joked that while he and Joseph pushed and encouraged each other, he couldn’t let Joseph graduate first!
HOW DID RECEIVING A FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT YOUR EDUCATIONAL PURSUITS?
Joseph: I like to participate in things that I enjoy—my favorite thing was coaching my sister’s basketball team to a championship. It would be heart-breaking if I had to give that up for a night shift. Also, to sacrifice study time and much-needed sleep to work extra hours to pay for my school would be challenging. I do what I can to make money by working on the weekends and during the summer. This scholarship allowed me to focus on school while not giving up the few years I have left to watch my siblings play sports and have a meaningful bond with them. I am so thankful for every scholarship I have received to pursue an education.
David: I could have never graduated this spring with a 4.0 GPA in a double major (Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance) without all the support I received. The Foundation allowed me to focus more on my studies and career development, rather than worrying so much about the cost of education.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO STUDENTS WHO MAY BE CONSIDERING PURSUING AN ACCOUNTING CAREER?
Joseph: Enjoy yourself! The work can be difficult at times, but if you enjoy the work, there is no other profession that will treat you better, is more dependable and consistent, and offers constant opportunities.
David: My advice is for other non-traditional students who have a desire and passion to achieve more in life. If you are willing to put in the work, with support from family and friends, you can accomplish more than you ever thought possible. It is never too late to learn, but it’s even better to never stop learning.
HOW HAS THIS EXPERIENCE IMPACTED YOUR RELATIONSHIP AS FATHER AND SON?
Joseph: My father and I have always had an amazing relationship. Out of all the ways I could describe us pursuing the same degree, I would choose the word “funny.” I occasionally laugh at the idea that we are taking the same classes and that I can study with him or ask him for help on a particular subject. It was very enjoyable and is something I will be able to smile back on.
David: I have a mutual respect and admiration for the struggles Joseph is going through. To see how much he has grown and that he loves teaching and learning as much as I do is more than I could ask for as a father.
Rachel Annelise Chaney, CPA
Bernard Robinson & Company
My family could not afford to pay for my college, and worse, I had no idea what my career options even were. The job market was hemorrhaging. Once stable professions were on the shaky ground, and I knew no one in a white-collar job to guide me. I had to find a secure career option and a way to pay for the degree to get into it on my own.
After deciding to go for an accounting career with no knowledge of the profession or guidance except my plan to “figure it out,” I had to find a way to cover my tuition, books, and CPA Exam fees, and whatever money I made working while studying wasn’t covering it. I turned to scholarships—including the NC CPA Foundation Scholarships.
Looking back, I never could have begun my career in the public accounting profession without the support of scholarships and the incredibly generous donors who made them possible! As a graduate student, I passed the CPA exam while completing my Master of Accounting degree.
Since graduating, I have had an incredible career at Bernard Robinson & Company, LLP! As a Tax Manager, my focus is High Net Worth and Fiduciary Taxation, and I am proud to serve as trusted advisor to my clients, many of whom are active in financially supporting their communities. In my own life, I highly value philanthropy and hope I am doing my part to help others as I have been helped.
A member of the Board of the NC CPA Foundation since 2021, I currently serve as Vice President and intend to do all in my power to make sure other students facing the challenges I did get as much help as possible. Starting this year, I was also selected to serve on the AICPA’s Uniform Accountancy Act Committee, and I am involved in several other non-accounting volunteer pursuits.
In 2022, I was selected by Triad Business Journal as one of the Triad’s 20 in their 20’s Award Honorees, and the same year, I got to prove CPAs aren’t all numbers and tax forms with three articles included in the non-fiction anthology Putting the Fact in Fantasy, published by Penguin Random House. Most recently, I was selected to attend the 2023 AICPA Leadership Academy.
Today, I am grateful to have built a career at an exceptional CPA firm, to be giving back to the next generation of public accountants, and to experience the simple pleasures of reading my name in a book or standing outside with my horse, De Vedras, on a cool evening. If you had shown 16-year-old me in 2009 this current reality in 2023, I would not have believed it was possible. To go from financial insecurity and complete uncertainty then to the economic security and confident certainty of now was not fast. Not easy.
It took hard work, determination, “figuring it out,” and the generosity of strangers to get from where I started to Where I Am Now.
Rachel Annelise Chaney, CPA
Whitney Gann, CPA
Duke Energy
In my 15-year career as a CPA, I’ve worked in public accounting, auditing manufacturing and not-for-profit organizations. I’ve also had three “mini careers” at Duke Energy: reviewing operational risks and process improvements while in Internal Audit; developing and analyzing the financial forecast while in Financial Planning & Analysis; and now, leading rate design and regulatory strategy for the cooperative and municipal wholesale electricity customers that Duke Energy serves in the Carolinas.
Winning the NC CPA Foundation scholarship provided me valuable financial aid while in college and connected me to the NCACPA, an organization that continues to influence and support my CPA career. I vividly remember attending my first NCACPA event, the awards banquet at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, to be recognized as a Foundation scholarship recipient. At this event, I made meaningful networking connections with leaders in the CPA profession, peers from other universities, and staff members from the NCACPA. During this event, I realized that being a CPA in NC came along with a rich network of support, professional opportunity, and meaningful community involvement.
As a young professional, the NCACPA afforded me opportunities to strengthen my soft skills including project management, public speaking and team leadership through my service as Chair of the Young CPA Cabinet (now the Young Professionals Cabinet), Chair of the Charlotte NCACPA Chapter, and involvement with other NCACPA committees. At key inflection points in my career, friends and mentors through the NCACPA provided me valuable counsel regarding work-life-balance, career progression, giving and receiving feedback, and managing a team.
Now, as a mid-career CPA, I continue to grow thanks to opportunities proffered by the NCACPA. As an NCACPA Board Member and Treasurer, I’ve gained experience in strategic planning, initiative leadership, and succession planning. By taking part in Washington DC Capitol Hill visits with fellow NCACPA members, I’ve learned about the process of advocacy and the value of educating lawmakers about the importance of financial literacy issues. Through mentoring programs and strategic work to strengthen the CPA talent pipeline, NCACPA has facilitated opportunities for me to give back to the CPA profession and “pay forward” the investment others made in my career.
As I reflect on the past 15 years as a CPA, I recognize and appreciate the value of my Foundation Scholarship: financial assistance for my college education, and more importantly, an entrance door to a professional organization that has supported the success and enjoyment of my CPA career.
Whitney L. Gann, CPA
Josh Shoulders, CPA
| Pursuing Accounting PhD
During my undergraduate education at UNC-Charlotte, I worked over 20 hours a week driving around North Carolina evaluating how to install various accessibility and mobility tools in homes. I received an NC CPA Foundation scholarship in 2016 in the middle of my senior year. The funding the Foundation provided was critical to ensuring I did not need to work even more than I already was. During that year, I served as President of UNC-Charlotte’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi and received an offer to join KPMG’s Master of Accounting with Data and Analytics program at The Ohio State University. Additionally, I completed a summer internship with KPMG’s Charlotte audit practice.
After finishing at Ohio State, I got married and moved to Boston, MA to begin my career. I became a CPA in Massachusetts and a Certified Fraud Examiner before transferring back to KPMG’s Charlotte, NC office in the spring of 2021. I knew from my time in school that I had a passion for the next generation of CPAs. This passion led to an opportunity to serve the very organization that had helped fund my education and journey to becoming a CPA: the NC CPA Foundation. I joined the Foundation Board in 2021, jumping in headfirst on fundraising activities and advancing the Foundation’s mission.
My role on the Foundation Board certainly uses my passion for the future of our profession, but I found that I needed to do something more, too. I left public accounting and joined an accounting Ph.D. program at the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2021, mere weeks before my father, Dr. Craig Shoulders, passed away. My dad was an accounting professor at UNC-Pembroke and my future career as an accounting professor is, in many ways, in his honor. As the son of a coal miner from western Kentucky, Dad knew—and taught his students—what many of us know: The accounting profession creates opportunities.
As I enter my third year of the program, I am deeply aware of how the accounting profession’s pipeline is struggling. According to a July 2023 CAQ report, 52% of non-accounting majors cited affordability of becoming a CPA as at least part of the reason they did not choose accounting as a major. The NC CPA Foundation’s work directly addresses that for North Carolina students. I am proud to be part of this profession and even more proud to be part of the important work the Foundation does for North Carolina accounting students.
Josh Shoulders, CPA