19 CBA Accounting Students Receive NESCPA Scholarships for 2024-2025 

Mammel Hall – Congratulations to the 19 students from UNO’s College of Business School of Accounting who were awarded scholarships by the Nebraska Society of CPA’s (NESCPA)! These scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, recognize their hard work and dedication.

Two College of Business Administration School of Accounting alumni also received special awards from NESCPA. Leonard Sommer was honored with the 2024 Public Service Award and chose to direct his award funds to support student Anh Pham.

Sommer said his reasons for donating the funds were simple, “I will be forever grateful for the impact earning an accounting degree from UNO has made on my career. Helping aspiring accounting students achieve a degree in accounting is my way of thanking UNO and also fostering the development of future leaders in the field.”

Shari A. Munro received the 2024 Distinguished Service to the Profession Award, and she directed her award dollars to Braden Myers. “I was very honored to receive the Nebraska Society of CPA’s Distinguished Service to the Profession Award as I have committed my whole career to this amazing profession. I have always been proud to say I am a CPA and supporting our honorable profession came easily. I chose to give my award to a student at UNO because that is where my CPA journey began, and I believe UNO’s Accounting Program and College of Business are second to none in our state,” Munro said.

Dennis Blackman, another College of Business alumnus, generously funded several Pipeline Scholarships for students. Congratulations to Allan Juan-Diego, Alayna (Laynie) Kuhn, Vivian Nguyen, Cassidy Niemoth, and Lisa Nishimura for receiving these.

“I hope the scholarships my wife and I support help students achieve their goals.  The education they receive at UNO will make a difference in their lives,” Blackman said.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing support our UNO School of Accounting receives from our alumni and the Nebraska community. Their generosity and willingness to give back continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of our students,” said Dr. Roopa Venkatesh, CMA, Director of the School of Accounting and Union Pacific Professor of Accounting.

Other students were awarded additional scholarships as well: Andrew Wells received the Deloitte Scholarship, Alexis (Ali) Sovereign was awarded the David A. Emry Scholarship, and Binita Karanjit and La Ksay were honored with the Tricia K. Riggins Scholarship. Sengsanla Wuyawng was awarded the 150-hour scholarship.

Finally, Glenda Bricko, Keely Diercks, Keanu Landolt, Hassibullah (Hassib) Latifi, Eric Manuel, Emily Martin, and Kevin Wulf received General Accounting Scholarships.

A big round of applause to all these deserving students! It’s inspiring to see so much support and recognition for their efforts.