Two YSU Students Win Prestigious Award

By Samantha Phillips

Only four students in Ohio received a prestigious statewide scholarship from the Institute of Management Accountants Ohio Regional Council — and Youngstown State University students Amanda Macinga and Nicole Pavlansky were two of them.

Macinga received $2,500 and Pavlansky received $1,500.

From left to right: Jessica Syme, Veronica Greenwood, Dr. Norman Meonske, Nicole Pavlansky and Amanda Macinga.

“That two of these scholarships went to YSU students is an outstanding achievement,” David Stout, an accounting professor at YSU, said. “We are very proud of these students, and others from YSU who applied for this year’s IMA scholarships.”

Pavlansky said the application process was more than just filling out the application. The contestants also had to get a letter of recommendation from a professor, write about their school and community extracurricular activities and write a short essay on how the scholarship would help them in their future careers.

Stout and Kathy Mumaw, an assistant business professor at YSU, identified which sophomores and juniors in the accounting program had the best cumulative GPA and encouraged them to apply for the scholarship. This year marked the first time YSU students could apply for this scholarship from the Ohio Council of the Institute of Management Accountants.

Macinga said she felt confident about her application. She and Pavlansky were excited and honored to win.

“I immediately contacted the professor who wrote me a letter of recommendation and told her thank you so much, I got it partially because of her,” Macinga said.

The girls attended the 42nd Annual Meonske Professional Development Conference hosted by the Ohio Council Institute of Management Accountants at Kent State University, where they received their awards.

Along with the scholarship, the girls were given a one-year membership with the Institute of Management Accountants. This requires them to commit to the Akron Institute of Management Accountants chapter and attend at least two events.

“[Going there is] a great help as far as networking in the future goes, and since I’m going to be a senior next year, it will help with my tuition, and I can focus on my grades,” Pavlansky said.

Pavlansky has already accepted a full time accounting position with Cohen and Company, beginning after she graduates.

 
Macinga plans on getting her Masters in Accounting, Certification of Public Accounting and Certification of Management Accounting after she graduates.