Cinnaminson High School Student Wins $7,000 NJCPA Scholarship

CINNAMINSON, NJ - A Cinnaminson High School student is one of 16 high school students in the state who won a scholarship from the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) at its 59th Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony held at the Pines Manor in Edison on April 30.

Timothy Clements won a $7,000 High School Senior Award at the event, NJCPA announced. Additionally, 37 one-year awards of $6,000 went to college students.

The NJCPA awards were presented along with those of the Atlantic/Cape May, Bergen and Mercer chapters. Minority awards were also presented in conjunction with the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA).

In all 75 New Jersey high school and college students shared in more than $350,000 in scholarship money. More than 200 students applied for awards.

Award recipients have to meet stringent GPA, writing and curriculum requirements, as well as participate in an interview process. The awards are open to accounting students at New Jersey colleges who are currently in their junior or senior year and New Jersey high school seniors who plan to major in accounting or obtain a concentration in accounting.

“Being able to reward the next generation of accounting professionals is truly a pleasure. We all have an obligation to assist in furthering the profession and informing students about what options are open to them if they decide to pursue this kind of career,” said Ralph Albert Thomas, CPA (DC), CGMA, CEO and executive director of the NJCPA. “Our members continue to exceed expectations in giving back and financially supporting New Jersey students.”

New Jersey-based college recipients currently attend Baruch College, Bergen Community College, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Madison, Mercer County Community College, Monmouth University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, Northeastern University, New York University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Rider University, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, Rowan University, Seton Hall University, Stockton University, Syracuse, University of Maryland, University of Notre Dame and William Paterson University of New Jersey.

High school award winners currently attend Bridgewater Raritan High School, Cinnaminson High School, Dr. Ronald Mcnair Academic High School, Howell High School, Kinnelon High School, Lenape High School, Livingston High School, Montville Township High School, Morris Knolls High School, Northern Highland Regional High School, Northern Valley Region-Old Tappan High School, Wall High School, Washington Township High School, Wayne Hills High School and Whippany Park High School.

This year’s ceremony included an additional award from the friends and family of Raymond Rigoli, CPA, who passed away in November 2018. Rigoli was an accounting professor at Ramapo College for more than 35 years and a longtime member of the NJCPA.

The NJCPA Scholarship Fund has grown to become one of the largest professional scholarship programs in New Jersey, awarding more than $4 million in awards since inception. The fund has supported more than 1,700 New Jersey students on their way to becoming CPAs.

For a complete list of this year’s winners in each scholarship category, visit njcpa.org/scholarship.