Mississippi College Accounting Students Attend Washington Conference

MC accounting professor Billy Morehead

Networking with hundreds of the nation’s most successful accountants always reaps terrific benefits for Mississippi College students.

MC senior Nathan Lambert, 20, of Middleburg, Florida is among two students on the Clinton campus to recently attend Association of Government Accountants meetings.

The late February sessions in Washington provided numerous opportunities to learn more about the accounting profession and cultivate valuable career relationships.

An accounting major in the School of Business, Lambert raved about his AGA National Collegiate Scholarship experience. The scholarships enabled Nathan and Mississippi College accounting major Hannah Gray of Brandon to attend the meetings.

“I learned so much about people who work in government financial management and careers in the field,” Lambert said.

At the conference, Lambert was mentored by the financial executive officer of the Idaho State Police. He met with executives from the Federal Reserve and the USA’s leading accounting firms.

“Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that the government finance field is anything but boring. There are so many opportunities in this field,” he said.

An MC senior, Gray, 21, was also delighted to make the rounds at the informative sessions in the nation’s capital.

Hannah met executives from the federal sector like the Office of Management & Budget as well as the Treasury Department. She attended sessions that explored ways officials are seeking to reduce government spending, she said. Other meetings tackled subjects touching on advances in technology to assist agencies.

Accounting professor Billy Morehead joined Lambert and Gray at the meetings in Washington. He saluted both MC accounting majors for their hard work to earn scholarships to participate.

Founded in 1950 as the Federal Government Accountants Association, the group expanded in 1975 to include state and local government sectors. Morehead has remained active in the organization since the 1980s. He’s a former AGA national president and treasurer.

The students’ accomplishments speak well for the MC School of Business, Morehead said.

To get a scholarship to attend the conference, national organization leaders select college students who are well-rounded, excel in the classroom, and are interested in government financial management. The MC students also penned well-written essays.

School of Business Dean Marcelo Eduardo says the AGA scholarship program is beneficial for students each year. “It provides wonderful opportunities that extend beyond the classroom and greatly enhance the education of our accounting students.”