CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois Awards Record Accounting Tuition Scholarships

CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois Awards Record Accounting Tuition Scholarships

The record $161,000 in tuition scholarships will support 61 accounting students at 23 colleges and universities during the upcoming academic year.

CHICAGO – As the accounting profession works to strengthen its future workforce, the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, the charitable partner of the Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS)—one of the largest state certified public accountant (CPA) societies—has awarded a record $161,000 in scholarships to 61 accounting students attending 23 Illinois colleges and universities.

By helping offset tuition costs, the scholarships allow recipients to focus on their education while preparing to meet the growing demand for trusted accounting and finance professionals.

Scholarships were awarded through seven distinct categories that recognize students demonstrating academic achievement, leadership qualities, and financial need:

• Illinois CPA Society Accounting Scholarships, which support seniors and graduate students.

• RubinBrown Charitable Foundation Scholarships, which support students attending colleges or universities in and around the Chicago metropolitan area.

• Herman J. Neal Accounting Scholarships, which support Black or African American juniors, seniors, and graduate students.

• James A. Sikich Visionary Scholarships, which support seniors and graduate students.

• Advancing Women in Accounting Scholarships, which support female seniors and graduate students.

• Community College Scholarships, which support second-year community college students.

• Freshman Scholarships, which support incoming college freshmen.

These scholarships are made possible through the generosity of nearly 1,000 annual donors to the CPA Endowment Fund. Together, their investments help remove financial barriers for students while strengthening the future CPA pipeline. This year, the RubinBrown Charitable Foundation

expanded that impact by establishing two new $10,000 tuition scholarships through a generous $20,000 gift.

“Investing in the education of promising accounting students is essential to both the future of our communities and the accounting and finance profession,” says Geoffrey Brown, CAE, ICPAS president and CEO. “These students have shown a clear commitment to pursuing accounting careers and the CPA credential, and we’re proud to support their journey. We’re also deeply grateful to our donors who make these scholarships possible and especially to the RubinBrown Charitable Foundation for its meaningful investment in aspiring CPAs.”

2026-2027 Academic Year Tuition Scholarship Recipients by Program

Illinois CPA Society Accounting Scholarships

Name

School

David Arroyo

DePaul University

Jessie Cardiel

Saint Xavier University

Drew Chipman

DePaul University

Devin David

DePaul University

Joseph Dean

Illinois Wesleyan University

John Dwyer

Northern Illinois University

Natalie Engelman

University of Illinois

Swapna George

DePaul University

Elizabeth Good

Loyola University

Gannon Harshman

Millikin University

Megan Hoffman

University of Illinois Springfield

Bowen Huang

University of Illinois

Alex Jimenez

University of Illinois

Rida Kim

DePaul University

Anna Lakomiak

Benedictine University

Olga Makhlay

Loyola University

Haiden Mast

University of Illinois

Isabelle O'Day

University of Illinois

David Podczerwinski

University of Illinois

Rachelle Pinto

Dominican University

Owen Pullis

Loyola University

Fatima Qaiser

Loyola University

Mathew Salazar

Northern Illinois University

Anna Sagmeister

University of Illinois

Madan Shrestha

University of Illinois

Madeline Stork

Illinois Wesleyan University

Anna Topor

Lewis University

Ashley Torres

Rockford University

Benjamin Torres

Loyola University

Abigail Zacatzi

Northern Illinois University

RubinBrown Charitable Foundation Scholarships

Name

School

Victoria Lozano

DePaul University

Dhavni Shah

DePaul University

Herman J. Neal Accounting Scholarships

Name

School

Tyshawn Allison

Northern Illinois University

Khamiya Langston

Elmhurst University

Martha Pierre-Louis

Loyola University

Hussam Sharfi

University of Illinois Chicago

Ashley Terry

DePaul University

James A. Sikich Visionary Scholarships

Name

School

Jessica Hu

University of Illinois

Jason Mascarenhas

University of Illinois

Advancing Women in Accounting Scholarships

Name

School

Daniella Berkane

Loyola University

Esmeralda Corona

University of Illinois

Mahnoor Fatani

Benedictine University

Lilliana Gutierrez

University of St. Francis

Cheryl Jones

DePaul University

Giselle Naranjo

University of Illinois

Mikah Ribble

University of Illinois

Cristina Tejeda

University of Illinois

Quynh Tran

University of Illinois Chicago

Community College Scholarships

Name

School

Vincenzo Cavazos

Moraine Valley Community College

Kate-Lynn Hodges

Prairie State College

Katherine Sell

Illinois Central College

Caden Shaputis

Rend Lake College

Guohua Su

Harold Washington College

Justin Varvara

College of DuPage

Andrew Weingardt

Oakton College

Freshman Scholarships

Name

School

Caiden Aldrich Cando

Northern Illinois University (Bolingbrook High School)

Calvin Andrews

University of Illinois (Heyworth Junior-Senior High School)

Jade Bowen

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Triad High School)

Akshar Patel

University of Illinois (Saint Charles East High School)

A'Lyvia Perry

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Molin High School)

Jonathan Ramirez

Moraine Valley Community College (Argo Community High School)

To learn more about the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois and its programs and scholarships, visit www.icpas.org/annualfund.

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