Accounting Major Finalist for Board of Trustees Scholarship
Published: March 29, 2023 | Author: Abbie Cochrane | Read Time: 4 minutes
Allie Quarnberg has been named the 2023 finalist for the Southern Utah University Board of Trustees Scholarship for the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business. She is majoring in accounting and plans to get her master’s degree in accounting following graduation.
The Board of Trustees Scholarship is funded by SUU’s Board of Trustees and awarded to one outstanding SUU student at the end of their junior year. This is one of the most prestigious scholarships offered by the University, with students being nominated by their colleges, and the seven finalists represent the best of SUU.
“Allie is not only an outstanding student in the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business, but also a highly principled, positive, and ambitious individual," said Dr. Mary Pearson dean of the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business. "She holds two associate degrees from Snow College and is actively involved in the Professional Accountancy Club at SUU. We are fortunate to have Allie work as a Student Administrative Assistant in the business school where she is an incredible example to fellow students, faculty, and staff.”
Originally from Ephraim, Utah, Quarnberg isn’t too far from home. She’s a transfer student from Snow College and did a marketing internship there. That was her primary introduction to numbers and budgeting in the professional field.
Quarnberg chose SUU mostly for the accounting program. She was familiar with the area before her enrollment at SUU, as she came to Cedar City for the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games with her soccer team. The biggest influencer for her coming to SUU was the accomplished Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business, which is AACSB (Association of Accredited Small Business Consultants) accredited and has a one-year master’s program for accounting.
She has been attending SUU for a year and has had a very positive overall experience, great classes, and wonderful professors.
“My favorite classes so far have been Managerial Finance I (FIN 3250) with Nathan McNamee and Tax I (ACCT 3200) with Jon Lee–I’m in that class right now and enjoying it a lot. It’s a hard class, but he’s an awesome professor,” Quarnberg stated.
Quarnberg’s initial encounter with accounting was when she took an accounting class in high school.
“I liked it, but I didn’t really know yet if that’s what I wanted to do, but now taking Tax I this semester, it finally clicked that this was what I wanted to do,” said Quarnberg. “Ideally, I’d like to be a public accountant for the first couple of years after I graduate, maybe work in company taxes. Then eventually transition into doing people’s personal taxes and having my own practice.”
Her goal is to become a CPA, or a Certified Public Accountant.
Quarnberg also works at the front desk of the Business Building on campus, which she thoroughly enjoys, and she’s also a part of the Professional Accountancy Club. As far as campus involvement, she loves going to SUU gymnastics meets. Growing up, her biggest hobby was playing sports.
“I’m the oldest of six, so we really liked to play sports together," said Quarnberg. "I did a lot of soccer and basketball growing up, and I ran track in high school, too. My family also spent a lot of time outside, which was another reason why I picked SUU–because we’re so close to National Parks.”
While accounting is one of Quarnberg’s strongest passions, she is also very fitness-oriented. She loves to help people be active, attends fitness classes on campus and has even helped friends with exercise science projects.
In her first year at SUU, Quarnberg is already a very accomplished student. One thing she considers to be a great achievement is the person she’s become throughout her college experience, and the friends that she’s made.
She was also awarded an academic scholarship. Quarnberg offers her thanks to those who nominated her as a finalist for the Board of Trustees Scholarship and is honored to represent the SUU School of Business.
For Quarnberg, the biggest challenge of college is something that every college student encounters when they live on their own for the first time–time management.
“It’s not too hard to get up and go to classes, but managing my time outside of class,” she explains. “It’s learning to navigate what classes are going to give me the most time-consuming homework and how long I need to study for a test. It’s quite literally learning to budget my time.”
Quarnberg recommends that new students get involved, but keep up with their coursework. She believes that managing time is important, as well as finding balance between academics and involvement on campus.
“I love accounting because it’s like solving a puzzle, so if that’s something you enjoy, go for it,” said Quarnberg. “Also, if you like solving problems and collecting data, then accounting may be a good fit for you, and regardless of whether you like talking to people or not, there’s a career in accounting that is suitable for you.”
Learn more about the seven finalists for the 2023 SUU Board of Trustees Scholarship.
Tags: School of Business Accounting