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Easton Resident Wins PICPA Essay Contest

PHILADELPHIA – Shafayat Chowdhury, of Easton, Pa., won the $2,000 first-place prize out of 123 entries in the 2007 Student Writing Competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA).

Chowdhury is majoring in economics and business, with a dual major in mathematics, at Lafayette College. He will begin his junior year this fall. Chowdhury earned the top prize for his essay on assessing the effects of frequent financial information restatements.

“It was the first time I participated in the competition, and I was really pleased with the outcome -- the educational value of the contest is really high,” Chowdhury said.

Entries in this annual contest come from undergraduate accounting and business majors attending Pennsylvania colleges and universities, as well as Pennsylvania residents who attend an out-of-state college or university and major in the same fields.

Kellen W. Brown, of Montoursville, Pa., earned $1,200 for finishing second, while Jacqueline A. Magee, of Berwyn, Pa., earned $800. An additional $1,000 went to Lafayette’s accounting program for Chowdhury’s essay, the accounting program at Bloomsburg University earned $800 for Brown’s essay, and Bucknell University’s accounting program received $400 for Magee’s essay.

Students and educators who are interested in learning more about PICPA student award programs, scholarship opportunities, and careers in accounting should visit www.cpazone.org.

Founded in 1897, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a professional association of more than 19,000 CPAs who work in public accounting, industry, government, and education. PICPA is the second-oldest state CPA organization in the United States. To find a member CPA in your area, visit our Web site at www.picpa.org and click on CPA Locator. Students and educators can visit PICPA's specially designed site www.CPAzone.org to get the latest information about careers in accounting and the CPA profession.