When the state’s highest scores on the 2022 CPA Exam were announced, MSU alumnae were at the top. At its 2023 summer conference, the Mississippi Society of CPAs (MSCPA) awarded the Fred T. Neely Gold Medal to Karis Pannell for the top exam score and the T.E. Lott Silver Medal to Gelsey Guerra for the second highest result.

“Karis and Gelsey demonstrate what good minds, hard work and an MSU accounting education can accomplish,” states ASAC Director Shawn Mauldin. “I look forward to watching the careers of these young professionals develop.”

Pannell, of Pontotoc, graduated from Mississippi State with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy (2021) and a master of accountancy degree with a minor in data analytics (2022). At MSU, she was a Stephen D. Lee Scholar, denoting a 4.0 GPA throughout her time as a student, and a Delta Gamma. She is now a Tax Associate with Byrne Zizzi, where she began working as a high school senior and continued part time throughout college.

Guerra earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy in 2021 and 2022, respectively. She, too, was a Stephen D. Lee Scholar, and she served in MSU Roadrunners and New Maroon Camp. Guerra is now an Audit Assistant at a St. Louis-based branch of Deloitte.