By Tyisha Drakeford
Bronx Journal Staff Writer
Ninety percent of the population is two checks away from being broke, according to Shirley Roger, a speaker at a National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) event at Lehman. Professionals and students spoke during the event, explaining what NABA is and the benefits of being an active member, nationwide and statewide. Turnout was high as 37 people crammed into the small conference room.
NABA aims to convince more minorities to enter into the field of accounting. The organization has over 4,000 members in New York alone, from Fortune 500 Companies such as Morgan Stanley to community college members like Lehman Students.
A group of black accountants started NABA in 1969. Their first goal was to develop and promote their own professional skills. “It is good for us to network with people who are already in the field,” says NABA Secretary Christina Forde.
According to president of the Lehman College chapter, Tynisha Lynch, NABA is very friendly, sociable, and a good organization for anyone aspiring to be an accountant. “NABA is received very well by many businesses,” she says. “Companies inject a lot of money into diversity. They want to see us succeed.”
Every semester at Lehman College, the New York chapter holds similar events to “What Is NABA?” And each year the turnout gets larger. This year the event was a success, said organizers, because they had time to promote it. A large number of people showed up, even though it was held in the afternoon.
“It’s harder for us to recruit because, as accountant majors or business majors, some of us already hold part-time jobs, full-time jobs, or internships,” says Lynch.
Although have dues and chapters, NABA is far from a Greek organization. It is solely focuses on building careers and networking. Dues are $20, but you can be a non-paying member as well. The non-paying members can help build the the organization. If you pay dues, you get emails from state and national members about scholarships, job banks, internships, and events that help students to polish themselves.
At the event, Dwayne Campbell, a previous student now a professional, covered other benefits of being a part of NABA. “The organization is built to groom you as an accountant,” says Campbell. “You get to meet and work with partners such as CHASE, Johnson and Johnson and over 120 other partners. While training you, the organization helps to teach you about the company through technical seminars. They also have professional partners critique your resume. You can sometimes even get an interview on the spot. NABA is also a great chance to learn how to master the Microsoft program Excel and Access Peach Tree.”
When you do an internship with NABA, you spend six months in the field. You can be exposed to places like NAACP and you can network through the company. NABA can help you get tangible things on your resume, as well as help you get your certificates and licenses.
“The internships that NABA assists you in getting are an excellent tool,” says Campbell. “They provide the path for you to network yourself into a possible job.”
According to Latia McAlister, the vice president of Lehman’s chapter, NABA provides resume builders, job placement, and internships. “It helps to transition us into the real world and into what we want to be,” she says.
One of the speakers, Shirley Roger, is a representative of the Roger CPA Review. The CPA is a the Certified Public Accountant test that you need to take to be a certified accountant. She explained the CPA’s four parts to the attendees: auditing, government accounting, tax and law, and written communication.
NABA hopes to help transform minorities into powerful accountants and works to build their dreams, perhaps even to get a position in the big four accounting firms: Price Water House Cooper, Deloitte, Ernest and Young, and KPMG.
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