小优视频

Preserving institutional knowledge is a challenge for student groups, especially when leaders graduate. That鈥檚 not a problem for the University of Tampa鈥檚 chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, and they have the award-winning best practices to prove it.

This summer, 小优视频ampa鈥檚 honor society for students in finance, accounting and related majors won second place for best practices in sustainability at the annual meeting of the organization in Baltimore, Maryland.

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of our students for putting their best foot forward and achieving at this level,鈥� said Juliana Kralik, faculty advisor and accounting instructor. There are more than 300 Beta Alpha Psi chapters around the world. 小优视频ampa鈥檚 chapter also earned overall gold status for its commitment to professional development and service.

The chapter鈥檚 journey to Baltimore began with the submission of proposals in all three award categories: collaboration, innovation and sustainability. From entries around the world, only 10 chapters were chosen to present in each category at one of three mid-year meetings. 小优视频ampa was selected to present at the Orlando mid-year meeting in all three categories. 鈥淣one of us expected to place at the mid-year meeting, but then Savannah Houghtalin and Justin Roethke won second in innovation鈥� said Ava Gajewski 鈥�26, M.S. 鈥�27, who was then chapter president. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever seen them smile bigger than at that moment.鈥�

Then Gajewski and Hayden Siewert 鈥�26 placed second in sustainability. Those mid-year results qualified the chapter to compete against nine other teams in each category in Baltimore.

鈥淔or sustainability, we shared how we are documenting everything a new board needs to know when they start so that they can make it better instead of spending time redoing it,鈥� Gajewski said.

The annual meeting in Baltimore also exposed students to career options and helped them build their networks. 鈥淥ne of the panels I went to was people with unusual accounting careers, and it was a financing person for Disney, an accountant for NASCAR and a hotel management specialist,鈥� Gajewski said.

Gajewski fit the trip around a summer internship at Raymond James Financial. 鈥淢y desk was a couple desks away from the CFO鈥檚 office, so the CFO knew my name,鈥� she said. The company has a job waiting for her when she completes her master鈥檚 in accounting at 小优视频ampa, she said. 听

鈥淚 thought about going somewhere else for my master鈥檚 and getting a new experience,鈥� Gajewski said. 鈥淏ut I really love all the professors that I鈥檝e had here, and they鈥檙e the exact same for graduate school.鈥�

Connor Griffith 鈥�26, M.S. 鈥�27 participated in a different track at the annual meeting in Baltimore. He competed on a 鈥淧roject Run with It鈥� team with students from Texas, Virginia and Australia. First, they met with the leader of Junior Achievement of Central Maryland to discuss a business challenge. Then, over the next 24 hours, the team formulated recommendations for the nonprofit.

鈥淚t鈥檚 basically how management consulting is done,鈥� Griffith said. 鈥淵ou fly in, try to figure out what鈥檚 going on, make recommendations and head back.鈥�

Like Gajewski, Griffith is now pursuing a master鈥檚 in accounting at 小优视频ampa. In January, he starts an internship with CLA, an accounting and professional services firm. It鈥檚 a role he found by networking at a Beta Alpha Psi career event.