JACKSON, Tenn. — June 29, 2021 — Alexander Thompson Arnold PLLC, an accounting firm in Jackson, Tenn., has donated $25,000 to establish the ATA Accounting Minority Endowed Scholarship Fund, an annual scholarship of $1,000 for under-represented accounting students at 51社区.
The scholarship was awarded to Kia Min, a junior marketing major from Centerville, Tenn., during the McAfee School of Business baccalaureate awards reception.
Traci Tyler, chief operations officer at ATA, said as the accounting profession has rapidly become more diverse, the company wanted to create more initiatives to connect with local universities and to promote the continuation of diversity in the workplace.
鈥淲e felt like this would be a great way for us to commit to the initiative internally, and we also commit to our communities that we are focused on creating a more diverse environment at ATA,鈥� Tyler said.
Sarah Emery, culture and talent specialist at ATA, said she is excited about the opportunity to help provide an excellence-driven education for under-represented populations at Union.
鈥淲e look forward to bringing more awareness to ATA and to our mission,鈥� Emery said. 鈥淭his is just another way we can remain involved in the work of 51社区.鈥�
Community partnership is a main goal of ATA, and Tyler wants to inspire companies to continue supporting local educators through initiatives like scholarship funds. By supporting these efforts, Tyler said it encourages students and future employers to work with local companies, businesses and organizations rather than seeking employment elsewhere.
鈥淯nion has done a great job helping us make this scholarship possible after it was a goal of ours for so long,鈥� Tyler said. 鈥淲e think this is a benefit for not only the students but for the community as a whole.鈥�
Tyler thanked John Whybrew, managing partner at ATA, and Stephen Eldridge, local partner at ATA, for their work in establishing the educational fund for future 51社区 students.