MAC and Undergraduate Students Demonstrate Excellence

Three students from the Poole College of Management have won prestigious national and state scholarships.

Krupa Bharodiya, a junior majoring in international studies and business administration, is one of 100 student winners of the inaugural Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, also known as the Voyager Scholarship.

“I am lucky to have worked with Krupa in my class,” says Vikas Anand, associate dean for academic programs. “She has a passion for making a difference, and that has led her on a unique journey. She really stands out for her curiosity and her passion, and has made quite an impact on the various guest speakers we had in class. After having worked with her, I am not at all surprised that she received the Obama-Chesky Scholarship.”

She has a passion for making a difference, and that has led her on a unique journey.

The scholarship, created by former President Barack Obama and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, is awarded to students committed to solving the world’s problems through public service via careers in the public, private or nonprofit sectors. It provides up to $50,000 in financial aid, a stipend for a summer work-travel experience and an Airbnb credit every year for 10 years after graduation to offset career travel costs.

“I see myself working for an international organization, working with nongovernmental organizations,” Bharodiya says. She entered NC State as an environmental sciences major and planned on becoming an attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but eventually she came to see the potential for service through a business administration degree.

“I was interested to see how business plays a role internationally as well as curious to see how it can help better society,” she says. “With the concerns we have about climate change and human rights violations, I feel like we can use business for good.”

With the concerns we have about climate change and human rights violations, I feel like we can use business for good.

Bharodiya has an internship lined up at the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She will also travel to Hanoi this year to teach English and help as an after-school program coordinator as part of the organization Vietnam Community Volunteering.

Two graduate students have also won prestigious scholarships. Juan Mancinas-Montelongo, who graduated from NC State with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and is now in the Jenkins Master of Accounting program, received a scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). He will put the $10,000 cash award toward the cost of his education.

Once I actually got awarded the PCAOB Scholarship, it opened up so many doors for me. It really changed everything.

“All my undergrad, I had financial aid to help me stay in school. My family also helped me out,” Mancinas-Montelongo says. “When I was looking to see where I was going to continue my education, I asked, ‘What’s a good and affordable school?’ My first choice was NC State. I wanted to stay here, but I wasn’t sure the funds would be there. Once I actually got awarded the PCAOB Scholarship, it opened up so many doors for me. It really changed everything.”

Mancinas-Montelongo interned last summer with Big Four firm KPMG and will join them full time after he obtains his degree. KPMG also has a program that will pay for his certified public accountant certification. Mancinas-Montelongo plans to stay in accounting, but looking far into the future, says he likes the idea of entering academia one day.

Another scholarship recipient who is getting his master’s degree in accounting is Edward Siameh, winner of a North Carolina CPA Foundation Scholarship. The foundation awards scholarships to students who can turn abstract ideas into practical applications and who understand the importance of communicating complex information in ways the public can understand.

I felt the time had come for me to search for more knowledge. That’s when I joined Poole College.

Siameh plans to put the $2,500 scholarship toward the cost of his education. He hopes his degree from Poole College will open doors to managerial roles in accounting and better career prospects, noting that the Big Four firms – Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers – have high expectations for people in his field.

He also enjoys the research aspects of accounting.

“I like to go deeper into accounting issues,” says Siameh, who has more than a decade of experience in the industry and has worked as an audit quality specialist and as an audit and assurance manager in Ghana. “I felt the time had come for me to search for more knowledge. That’s when I joined Poole College. Being at Poole College has aligned very well, because one of the courses was on research. I really learned from it.”