Rider student earns $10,000 accounting scholarship

Graduate student Aaliyah Wideman '21 was one of 253 students throughout the U.S. selected to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) for the 2021-22 academic year. 

The PCAOB scholarship program seeks to benefit students who are likely to become auditors and to make a difference to students who might otherwise choose a different career path. Wideman was nominated for the scholarship by faculty in Rider's Department of Accounting.

Wideman is a graduate of Rider's bachelor's program in accounting and a current Master of Accountancy student with a concentration in forensic accounting. She also recently completed an internship with Ernst & Young.

"Not only does it help me to complete and further my studies in accounting, but it also represents how my hard work and dedication have paid off," she says. "To have some of my professors be a part of making this decision and giving me this opportunity truly means a lot to me."

Dr. Maria Sanchez and her colleagues were proud to nominate Wideman for the award. 

"Aaliyah was in my auditing class last fall. She had already completed an internship with EY, plus she has a concentration in forensics, so she was really an asset to the class," Sanchez says. "My colleagues in the Department of Accounting and I were so happy to nominate Aaliyah for the PCAOB scholarship. We are so proud of Aaliyah here at Rider."

Wideman intends to sit for her CPA exam upon completing her master's degree with hopes of launching her professional career with one of the Big Four accounting firms. 

"Hopefully, in the further future, my sister and I will start that CPA firm that we have always talked about," she says.

"Congratulations to our PCAOB Scholars who achieved this distinction during an unquestionably challenging period for students everywhere,” says PCAOB Acting Chairperson Duane M. DesParte. “The PCAOB is pleased to help support these dedicated individuals on their paths to becoming leaders in accounting and auditing.”

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 provides that funds generated from the collection of PCAOB monetary penalties must be used to fund a merit scholarship program for students in accredited accounting degree programs. The PCAOB Scholars Program was created to identify eligible students and to award funds through the students’ educational institutions. Since the program’s inception in 2011, the PCAOB has awarded $16.23 million in scholarships to 1,623 recipients.