Laurie Corradino, a Colorado State University-Pueblo student, received a scholarship from the American Institute of Certified Accountants.

Corradino is a graduate from the Hasan School of Business and is pursuing a Master in Business Administration. She is one of five students to receive the 2009-2010 AICPA scholarship in the nation.

The AICPA scholarship is $2,500 and students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average and show future career interests in business and accounting.

“I have received other scholarships in the past, but to receive a national scholarship made me feel good and I knew CSU-Pueblo would be happy to have a national scholarship recipient at their institute,” Corradino said.

While attending CSU-Pueblo, Corradino has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for her academic achievements.

She received the Gold Key Award from the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, which is an award recognizing outstanding academic achievements and connecting high achieving individuals locally, regionally and globally with lifetime opportunity, reward and success.

Corradino was named a 2009 Threlkeld Prize for Excellence finalist, which placed her among the top six graduates from the university in regards to excellence in academic, co-curricular activities and service to the university and community.

She is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Theta Kappa honor societies, and is also president of the Hasan School of Business Accounting Club.

Corradino has tutored accounting students, helped her professor with an accounting case study and helped a local non-profit organization with its financial records.

“I was asked by an accounting professor to help out with a local non-profit organization, so one other accounting student and me were selected. I was excited because it gave me a hands-on experience,” Corradino said.

Corradino is in the process of completing the CPA Exam, which is a four-section exam.

“I have completed three parts of the exam and I hope to be done with the entire exam in January before school starts again,” Corradino said.

The exam consists of auditing and attestation, financial accounting and reporting, regulation and business environment and concepts. The examination is graded on a scale of 0 to 100, and the minimum passing score is 75.

She plans on continuing to gain personal experience in the accounting field.

“I ultimately want to teach accounting even if it is at a two-year college because I seem to be able to teach others very well,” Corradino said.