From Thursday to Saturday (June 27-29), 18 high school students joined Miami faculty, alumni, and invited speakers as they explored the possibilities of an accounting career through the 2024 Make it Miami Accounting Camp.
The event kicked off with a tour of the Farmer School of Business for the students and their families, followed by dinner at FSB Commons. During the dinner, short presentations were given by representatives from Miami’s admissions office, the Farmer School of Business, and the Accountancy Department.
After the dinner, campers said goodbye to their families and got right to work. In teams, they were asked to brainstorm their current perceptions of what accountants do, and then charged with presenting how these perceptions changed at the camp’s end. This session was followed by a presentation, “What is Accountancy?” by Accountancy Department Chair Anne Farrell and EY Professional Development Advisor Amanda Pyzoha. They also shared details about the the various tracks that students can take, from an accountancy minor to pursuing a double major and the 3+1 Combined BS/MAcc program. They highlighted our study-abroad and study-away programs, internship opportunities, and the full-time job offers many students have even before starting their senior years.
A keynote by Kenny Glenn ‘19 followed. Glenn is the author of the book “Question Everything: Advice for Students and Graduates” and a program manager at The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship. Glenn graduated from Miami with his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in accountancy, while being a leading student-athlete with the track & field team. He spoke about setting goals and strategies to achieve them, defining success, and the ways in which his accountancy degrees have helped him in his journey. The night ended after some team-building activities at Cook Field and students settled into their rooms at Withrow.
Friday started with breakfast at Garden Commons, followed by a panel back at FSB with Miami alumni Frannie Hillyer ’21 (Deloitte) and BriAuna Keys ’20 (PwC), joined by accountancy majors Gina Cardinale ’26 and Isabella Hughes ’27. The panelists discussed the myths of the accounting profession, what they enjoyed most about being an accountant, and the difference between public accounting and industry accounting. They also shared why they chose to major in accountancy and why they came to Miami. The group ended their time with a Penny Game in which campers learned to allocate resources in alignment with their values and goals.
After a short break, campers engaged in a lemonade stand activity, where they built a business plan, guided by Rebecca Healy of the Kirsch CPA group. This was followed by lunch at the Pulley Tower and a tour of the Armstrong Student Center. Campers then proceeded to College @ Elm (home of the Lee and Rosemary Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship) to spend some time with VaLanDria Smith-Lash ’23, founder of the natural skincare line Course Culture, which is headquartered in the building.
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing uptown, followed by a visit to the Hueston Woods Golf Course for some games and a cookout. Students returned to the dorm to prepare for their presentations on Saturday morning.
On Saturday, the campers made their final presentations at Marcum Center, and this was followed by closing ceremonies in which awards were made to the top team presentation, and the two “Top Camper” awards were announced, given to Ty’Naesia (Sia) Harris (Walnut Hills, Cincinnati) and Abigail Montgomery (Gibsonburg High School, Gibsonburg). Each awardee was given a $5,000/year scholarship if they choose to become a Miami accountancy major.
The Accountancy Department would like to thank all of our faculty, staff and supporters who made this event a success:
- Camp organizers: Amanda Pyzoha, Jennifer Troutman, and Crystal Warren
- Firm sponsors: EY, KPMG, Deloitte, and PwC
- Speakers: BriAuna Keys, Frannie Hillyer, Rebecca Healey, Kenny Glenn, VaLanDria Smith-Lash, Virginia Agee Deaton (FSB Advising), and Ron Blassingame (MU Admissions)
- Student chaperones: Jason Mihal, Gina Cardinale, Isabella Hughes, Karla Mendez-Barrientos, Peijiao Chen, and Kenny Combs