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 News & Information Links
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ILLINOIS CPA SOCIETY EXCEL AWARD WINNERS
MAY 2004
| Nivedita Gupta - Illinois Gold Medalist; U.S. Bronze Medalist
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 Nivi received a B. Com. degree from Panjab University in India with a major in Accounting and a minor in Business Economics. She also holds a B.S. in Information Systems and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Accounting and Information Systems from Benedictine University. Nivi is currently employed as a Senior Programmer and Analyst at International Truck and Engine Corporation.
After working in Information Technology for about two years, Nivi realized that she wanted to go back to her first career choice—accounting. She feels confident that getting the CPA certification is a great way to achieve that goal. To that end, she is currently searching for a good opportunity and looking forward to starting a career in public accounting very soon.
Nivi offers practical advice to someone who is preparing for the CPA exam. "You must give total commitment to the exam. Have a positive attitude, get support from your friends and family members, and" she stresses, "study. Study the relevant material. The NIU CPA Review gives you all the tools required to pass the CPA exam. It is up to you to use them wisely and effectively to achieve your goal."
Nivi credits her successful pursuit of CPA certification to her wonderful husband, Rahul. "I could not have achieved what I did without him," she says. "He supported me throughout the whole process."
Nivi is NIU CPA Review's third Illinois Gold medalist to have also garnered one of the top three scores nationally. |
| Yingxin Shao - Illinois Silver Medalist
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 Yingxin received a B.S. in Finance from Nankai University in Tianjin, P.R. China and an M.A. in Economics from Northern Illinois University. He is currently pursuing an M.A.S. in Accounting at Northern Illinois University and will graduate in August. Yingxin is also diligently searching for employment. He feels that his strong academic record and CPA certification will help to distinguish him from other accounting candidates in his professional field.
Yingxin's recommendations for anyone preparing for the CPA exam are precise: “Attending a CPA review course is a must-do. It is very helpful to make a study plan and stick to it. Preparing for the CPA exam is very hard work, and one needs to be very persistent. Also,” he advises, “it is very important to budget your time wisely and efficiently. Spend more time on the subjects you are not very good at and less on those you are very good at. In economic terms,” he continues, “try to equalize marginal utility in every section. If you want to get a very high score, there is no short cut. You have to keep practicing exercise problems again and again.”
Yingxin and his wife, Yumei Wang, met and got married here at NIU. She is a graduate student majoring in Economics. Yingxin's and Yumei's hobbies include travel, playing tennis, and cooking delicious Chinese food. They like to meet people from different cultures and make friends with them.
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| Annette Tomal - EXCEL Award Winner
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 Annette holds a B.S. in Business Education and an M.A. in Education from Ball State University, an M.B.A. from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois--Chicago. She is a professor in the Business/Economics department at Wheaton College.
When asked what advice she would give to someone preparing for the CPA exam, Annette answers with firm resolve. "Study, study, study. Make studying your job. Have a study plan every day and stick to it. When confronted with other choices of how to spend your time," she continues, "always think of the study time you'd be giving up and can never regain."
If given an opportunity to do life over again, Annette would choose to go into either Law or Accounting. Therefore, pursuing a CPA was always a goal she had set for herself. And, she adds, "The CPA gives me more credibility for teaching Accounting courses."
Annette is an avid worldwide traveler and an avid runner. Her husband, Dan, is a professor at Concordia University. They have three children--Jonathan, Stephanie, and Justin.
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| Viorel Cirje - EXCEL Award Winner
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 Viorel holds a degree from Loyola University (Chicago) and currently works in Federal Tax Services at Grant Thornton LLP in Chicago.
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