Natural leaders: CalCPA campus ambassador program eyes profession's future.

• Position: Profession's future - California Society of Certified Public Accountants

With the future of accounting in mind, CalCPA set out in August with the help of accounting educators and campus accounting clubs to find students at various California universities who would serve as campus ambassadors.

Like their diplomatic counterparts. campus ambassadors would serve as CalCPA representatives at their respective universities and have specific assignments, inducting:

* Increasing awareness of free CalCPA student membership.

* Improving visibility of CalCPA on these campuses.

* Helping CalCPA chapters ass connections between members and future CPAs.

Following an application review period, 13 students were selected as campus ambassadors. The students are declared accounting, business, cconomies or finance majors or minors and are intending to pursue a CPA license.

The pilot program was launched in January at 12 California universities:

* California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

* California State University, Bakersfield

* California State University, Fresno

* California State University, Northridge

* California State University, San Bernardino

* San Diego State University

* San Francisco State University

* San Jose State University

* Santa Clara University

* USC

Since January, the campus ambassadors have recruited more than 600 new student members to CalCPA, which is approximately 22 percent of CalCPA's total student members, and planned more than more than 20 CalCPA campus presentations.

At Cal State University, East Bay. for example, campus ambassador Melissa Lau hosted at contest between the finance and accounting clubs (0 determine which group can get the most new CalCPA members and used the contest as an opportunity to speak with all or the finance and accounting clubs CalCPA.

Shirin Marashi and Debbie Clavon and Kathleen King, campus ambassadors to San Diego State University and USG, respectively, contacted the professors in charge of student orientations and were able to speak with all incoming freshmen and sophomore accounting students about CalCPA.

And Clavon and King, along with campus ambassadors Alexandra Mendoza (Cal State University, San Bernardino) and Anthony Kress (Cal State university. Fullerton), attended CPA Day at the Capitol in January to) network with CalCPA members and share the impact or CalCPA's legislative issues On upcoming professionals with California legislators.

MeetYourCampus AMBASSADORS

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