PHILADELPHIA – Monica Buck of Fredonia was awarded a renewable $3,000 scholarship by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Buck is a student at Pennsylvania State University at Erie.

Buck, while attending SUNY Jamestown Community College (JCC), was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges. She graduated from JCC with an associate’s degree with high honors, and received two transfer scholarships upon graduation based on her outstanding academic performance. She is actively involved in the Pennsylvania State University’s leadership club, Leadership Unlimited, and is a member of the co-ed a cappella group, Tone-Acious.

Each year, PICPA’s Trustees of the Scholarship Fund award scholarships to students majoring in accounting at a Pennsylvania college or university. This year, PICPA granted scholarships to 91 students: 41 were first-time winners and 50 students renewed their scholarships from previous years.

“The Trustees were overwhelmed with the quantity and quality of the candidates that applied for assistance in their educational pursuits this year,” says Thomas J. Taricani, CPA, chair of PICPA’s Trustees of the Scholarship Fund. “This continued demand across the entire state exemplifies the importance of the PICPA supporting this initiative and sustaining excellence in our profession.”

Candidates were judged by their intellectual capacity, leadership potential, financial need, and intent to pursue a career in accounting. Scholarship amounts range from $1,000-$5,000, and were determined based on the strength of the candidate’s application. In 2015, more than $300,000 was awarded in PICPA scholarships through the PICPA Scholarship Fund.

Students and educators who are interested in learning more about PICPA student award programs, scholarship opportunities, and careers in accounting should visit www.picpa.org/futurecpas.

The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) is a statewide association of more than 22,000 members working in public accounting, industry, government, and education. Founded in 1897, the PICPA is the second-oldest and fourth-largest state CPA organization in the United States. To learn more about the PICPA visit www.picpa.org.