Fisher student awarded PCAOB scholarship
Fisher School of Accounting student Jake Bruce received the 2023-2024 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) academic scholarship. The scholarship will cover $10,000 worth of tuition, fees, books and supplies.
“I am extremely grateful to be receiving the PCAOB scholarship,” Bruce said. “I was originally going to have to take out a loan to fund the next school year. However, this scholarship has been a tremendous gift because I will no longer have to do that.
“This takes an immense weight off my shoulders and will allow me to be able to focus fully on my education. This scholarship is a tremendous honor to receive, and I am incredibly appreciative to the PCAOB for providing me this opportunity.”
Bruce is preparing to graduate in spring 2024 with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. This summer, he will be joining EY Orlando as an audit intern and is ready to join the company as a staff auditor after graduation. He intends to carry his motivation from his studies to his career, continuing to pursue opportunities to grow professionally and personally.
“During my time in the Fisher School, I have had amazing professors and mentors that have helped guide me in my educational journey,” he said. “The classes here are rigorous and fast-paced which I think will aid in the transition from school to full-time employment. Overall, I could not have asked for a better educational experience and a large amount of that sentiment is because of the outstanding staff and students that fill the Fisher school.”
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that monetary penalties imposed by the PCAOB in its disciplinary proceedings be used to fund merit scholarships for students in accredited accounting degree programs. The PCAOB scholarship program was established to provide a source of funding to encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate students to pursue a career in auditing.
The scholarship is merit-based and is available to students who meet the following criteria: students who are enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in accounting, demonstrate an interest and aptitude in accounting and demonstrate high ethical standards. Educational institutions are statistically selected to provide student nominations and are encouraged to consider students from populations that have been historically underrepresented in the accounting profession.
The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect investors and the public interest by promoting informative, accurate and independent audit reports. The PCAOB oversees the audits of brokers and dealers, including compliance reports filed pursuant of federal securities laws, to promote investor protection.