Freeman grad earns prestigious accounting award

A. B. Freeman School of Business alumna Alexis S. Gandal (BSM/MACCT ’17) has been named a 2017 recipient of the American Institute of CPAs’ Elijah Watt Sells Award.

The AICPA bestows the award on CPA candidates who obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the CPA Examination and pass all four sections of the exam on their first attempt. Out of the more than 95,000 candidates who sat for the exam in 2017, Gandal is one of just 58 candidates to meet the criteria.

"It comes as no surprise to me that Alexis was able to achieve this seemingly insurmountable task," said Christine Smith, professor of practice in accounting and assistant director of the joint BSM/Master of Accounting program. "Over the years I've known her as a student and advisee, she expected nothing but the best from herself, and boy did she deliver on that with this amazing award."

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA examination. Sells, one of the first CPAs in the United States, was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a key role in advancing professional education within the profession.

“Alexis embodies the dedication, perseverance and attention to detail we strive to instill in all our students,” said Ira Solomon, dean of the Freeman School. “I couldn’t be happier or more proud of her for earning this prestigious honor.”