Cameron University accounting majors Pilar Jaurena, Shalei Okamura and Colton Williams have been awarded coveted national scholarships for the National Collegiate Leadership Program (NCLP). The three students will travel to Washington, D.C., in February 2022 to attend the National Leadership Training (NLT) sponsored by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). They are student members of the AGA.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that accounting students from Cameron have been selected for this prestigious scholarship.
The NCLP provides up to 10 full-time undergraduate students across the U.S. with an opportunity to engage with and learn from leaders in government financial management during the two-day training.
During the February training, the CU students will learn from experts with real-world leadership experience in government and business, network with leaders who are passionate about public service and advancing government accountability, hear from young professionals who have made public service their career choice, and meet and connect with potential corporate and government employers. Each will be assigned a mentor who will assist them in navigating the event so they can optimize the opportunities presented.
Jaurena, a senior from Montevideo, Uruguay, is slated to graduate with a Bachelor of Accounting degree in May 2022. In addition to maintaining a GPA of 3.92, she has been inducted into Phi Eta Sigma, the national interdisciplinary honor society for first-year students. Jaurena is a member of the CU Aggies women’s tennis team and was named an 2021 All-American Scholar Athlete by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. She serves as a tutor in Cameron’s Center for Academic Success. Volunteer activities, including those undertaken with the Accounting Club, include the OSCPA Day of Service, Veterans Day activities at Cameron, a pen pal program at local nursing homes and the Ambucs Pancake Feed. Jaurena is a student member of the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA) and AGA.
Okamura, who ranked first in her class at Lawton High School, is a junior accounting major with a minor in finance. With a GPA of 3.793, she is a member of Phi Eta Sigma. Okamura is an active member of the Accounting Club and has participated in numerous community service projects with that organization, including the OSCPA Day of Service. She is a volunteer at the Lawton Veterans Center, the Oklahoma Blood Institute and the USO at Fort Sill. Okamura is in her second year as a representative for the Student Government Association and also serves as the philanthropy chair for Omega Zeta Theta. A member of Cameron’s Presidential Leaders and University Scholars program, she was selected for the Lawton Business Women’s mentorship program. She maintains student membership in OSCPA and AGA.
Williams, a resident of Duncan, is pursuing a Bachelor of Accounting degree and will graduate in July 2022. With a GPA of 3.651, he has been inducted into Delta Mu Delta, the international honor society for business students. As a member of the Accounting Club, he has been active in the organization’s community service activities, including the OSCPA Day of Service and events at the VFW in Duncan. He also serves as an accounting tutor and leads a business communications project group, in addition to completing an internship with a local law firm. A student member in AGA, he is also a student member of OSCPA and the American Institute of Accountants.
“I am proud of the highly competitive and qualified accounting students we have at Cameron University,” says Bernadette Lonzanida, a senior instructor in the Department of Business and a member of AGA who serves in the association’s Higher Education Committee. “Pilar, Shalei and Colton are highly deserving of this honor.”
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PR# 21-166
