Eleven Wisconsin college students, who plan to apply for a Wisconsin CPA license, were awarded $27,500 in scholarship money from the WICPA Educational Foundation.
The Foundation offers the LeRoy C. Schmidt 150-Hour Scholarship and the Elizabeth Peters Memorial Scholarship.
The LeRoy C. Schmidt 150-Hour Scholarship, named after former WICPA Executive Director LeRoy C. Schmidt, CPA, helps fund the 150-hour education requirement to obtain a CPA license. Students must complete 150 hours of post-secondary education including an undergraduate degree plus additional coursework or a master’s degree.
The Elizabeth Peters Memorial Scholarship, established by Wipfli LLP through the WICPA Educational Foundation, is named after Elizabeth Peters, CPA, who began her career as a staff accountant with Wipfli, Ulrich & Co. in 1949, a time when major CPA firms were not hiring women. In 1961, she became the first woman in Wisconsin to be elected as a partner in a CPA firm.
Ten students received the LeRoy C. Schmidt 150-Hour Scholarship and one student received the Elizabeth Peters Memorial Scholarship. Recipients were selected by the foundation's Scholarship Selection Committee based on academic achievement, community service, personal statement and recommendation letters.
The WICPA Educational Foundation supports programs to improve awareness of the accounting profession and ensure the advancement and vitality of the profession.