Jennifer Johnson

Being selected for a $10,000 national scholarship from a Congressionally-established entity is an accomplishment worth bragging about. But ASAC student Jennifer Johnson had a different reaction upon learning she had been selected as a PCAOB Scholar.

“I was floored when I saw that I was selected!” exclaims the humble young woman. “I was honestly not expecting it. After Dr. Mauldin pulled me aside to say he was nominating me, I wasn’t ever expecting to receive it. It means the world. It’s truly a blessing to be selected!”

ASAC Director Dr. Shawn Mauldin nominated Johnson for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) Scholars Program, which aims to benefit outstanding students likely to become accountants and auditors. The scholarships are funded by the monetary penalties imposed on companies by the PCAOB in its disciplinary proceedings.

Johnson, who was initially drawn to Mississippi State by the beauty of the campus, did not come to Starkville with a plan to study accounting. She started out with the intent of studying veterinary medicine. In her first biology course, however, she found that she lacked a passion for it as a lifelong pursuit. In considering her options, she thought over her other experiences and realized there was a different direction that energized her.

“Being a secretary and treasurer in my clubs in high school made me realize I liked handling money,” she shares, leading to her decision to major in accounting.

Today the Gulfport, MS, senior is happily engaged in her field. She has accepted a spring tax internship at BKD CPAs and Advisors in Jackson, MS. She is active in Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society, and grateful for the ways in which it has exposed her to the accounting world and introduced her to many firms and businesses.

A high achiever, Johnson is also involved in Undergraduate Women in Business and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. In addition to the PCAOB Scholarship, she has been awarded ASAC’s Joseph Watt McIlwain Endowed Scholarship for the coming year.

“After grad school, I plan to travel and eventually settle and work at a mid-sized or small local accounting firm,” she says of her plans for the future.

With accounting and the Adkerson School of Accountancy, Johnson knows she has taken the right path. Asked about an aspect of her studies that has been meaningful to her, she replies:

“Definitely finding people with similar goals and like-minds. There are so many amazing people in ASAC, so being able to become friends with those people is great!”