Accounting society honors Marietta College students | News, Sports, Jobs

MARIETTA — Three students from Parkersburg, Beverly and Vincent were among the four from Marietta College’s Accounting and Public Accounting programs honored for academic excellence at the annual Student Recognition Night hosted by the Parkersburg chapter of the West Virginia Society of CPAs.

They were David Fruner, class of 2023, of Parkersburg, Ethan Brooker, class of 2024, of Beverly and Brett Gandee, class of 2024,of Vincent. The fourth was Kya Forker, class of 2024, of Zanesville.

The four were chosen by the Marietta College accounting faculty.

“After attending the WVSCPA Student Night, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, from beginning to end,” said Gandee, who is majoring in accounting. “The social hour was terrific in terms of meeting accounting professionals in the workforce and listening to their experiences and using their advice to guide me in my future endeavors.”

The event, held Nov. 8 at the Parkersburg Country Club, included a business social hour, buffet dinner and a speech by society President Michael Costanzo.

For many years, the Parkersburg chapter of the WVSCPA has included Marietta College students and faculty in its events. Emeritus Professor of Accounting Edward H. Osborne served on the chapter’s leadership team during his years at Marietta College, and Professor Grace Johnson has had a long relationship with the Society at the state and local chapter levels.

“Although my CPA certificate is issued by the State of Ohio, I’ve long been a member of the West Virginia Society because of its local chapter structure. I’m closer to Parkersburg and Charleston than Columbus,” Johnson said.

Brooker, majoring in public accounting and finance, cited the value of professional networking.

“It also allowed us to learn how the field is constantly changing,” Brooker said.

Fruner said he met a variety of accounting professionals from different backgrounds.

“Which was incredibly helpful in showing me the versatility of accounting,” said Fruner, who is majoring in accounting.