Two COBI accounting students among first inducted into new international honor society

This year the Institute of Management Accountants, the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, established the new IMA Accounting Honor Society (IAHS), designed to support and acknowledge high-performing accounting students attending accredited colleges or universities around the globe.

Among the first two students inducted into the honor society were Rachel Fitzpatrick and Zachary Zavela of The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation.

Zachary Zavela and Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby

Rachel Fitzpatrick and Dr. HassabElnaby

"I was quite surprised when I first learned that I was nominated for membership in the honor society," Fitzpatrick said. "I felt honored that Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby (Chair of the COBI Accounting Department) chose to nominate me out of many accounting students in COBI. I have made many sacrifices and put in a lot of hard work to excel in my accounting courses and I am very grateful to be honored for my achievements."

"I was surprised to have been nominated by Dr. HassabElnaby to join the honor society," Zavela said, "especially since I did not apply to join. This recognition shows my academic achievements in my undergraduate studies.  Because my professional goal is to become either a CFO of a company or make partner at a firm, I believe that this honor will help in achieving that goal."

"I choose to study accounting because my grandmother is an accountant," he said.  "When I heard her talk about her work, it seemed very interesting to me."

Fitzpatrick also sees the benefit of the IMA honor. "My short term goals include earning my CPA certification and gaining some public accounting experience. Afterwards, I would like to pursue a career in healthcare financial management. As I transition out of public accounting, the IMA Honor Society will help me to network and discover career opportunities in the area of management accounting. I can also benefit from the IMA Honor Society through earning the CMA certification, which will set me up for success in management accounting."

"I chose to study accounting because it is the 'language of business,'" she said. "Accounting knowledge allows you to understand all aspects of business performance and provide valuable information to corporate decision makers. The field of accounting has a variety of different career paths and the job demand is always high."

Fitzpatrick added. "It is an honor to be recognized and I am thankful for the quality education I have received from the College of Business & Innovation and the Accounting Department here at the University of Toledo."

IAHS is open to junior and senior students majoring or minoring in accounting, finance or IT with a 3.0 or higher Grade Point Average overall and in accounting. In addition, students must be nominated by a professor or provide proof of meeting eligibility requirements in order to be accepted into IAHS.

IMA is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession.  It has a global network of more than 70,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters.