Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
ASU COBA Student Earns Prestigious Internship with KPMG
An Alabama State University accounting student has been awarded a multi-year paid internship with the prestigious Big-4 accounting firm KPMG. James Jackson, a native of Columbus, Ga. and a student-athlete (Track and Field), has been named by KPMG to its list of Embark Scholars, a competitive program that focuses on coaching and developing high-performing students like Jackson to become potential KPMG leaders of tomorrow.
"When I found out that I won the scholarship from what I feel is the world's finest accounting and financial services firm, I was elated and felt great because a very small percentage of students win this internship," Jackson said. "As a KPMG intern, I am allowed to work within and increase my knowledge of such accounting techniques as tax, audit and literally, all brackets of accounting."
Executives with the firm describe the Embark Scholars program as a cross functional network of individuals who will work collaboratively to ensure that the students engage with and rotate through a diverse group of members across all business resource groups within the firm. These rotations allow the Scholars to become students of the firm and will help them determine the group with which they are most interested to intern the following summer. Many of the selected Scholars are offered employment upon graduation.
SELECTED AS A FRESHMANDr. Kamal Hingorani, dean of the Percy J. Vaughn, Jr. College of Business Administration (COBA), shared that Jackson is just entering his sophomore year at ASU and was actually selected to take part in this highly sought-after program as a freshman.
"It is quite unusual for an Embark Scholar to be selected during their first year in college, but that speaks directly to the scholarship and professionalism that Mr. Jackson exudes," Hingorani stated. "We are very proud of him, as well as the attention, advice and assistance that COBA receives from KPMG, which is one of the most spectacular firms of its kind within the business world."
JACKSON'S INSTRUCTOR: ‘AWARD IS GOOD FOR STUDENT AND ASU’COBA faculty member, Professor Kim F. Smith, works closely with Jackson, both on his academic studies and on ways to help him attain his career goals.
"Of course, good grades are very important, but I advise my students the importance that fellowships and internships make in the development of contacts that may one day assist them in obtaining a good job offer after graduation, which is just the case with Mr. Jackson," Smith said. "This internship will give James the opportunity to best figure out what his accounting degree may be able to do for his future in the job field. Since KPMG will have him working within several different aspects of its practice, it will help our student to figure out what he enjoys —kind of like trying on different shoes to see what fits the best."
STUDENT GRATEFUL TO ASU AND COBAJackson said in his first year at the University, the faculty and administration at COBA have offered him great advice and support.
He explained that the mentorship and support he has received as a student in Smith's class equipped him with the skills that helped him to be chosen for the Embark Scholars program, as has Hingorani's counseling.
"Both COBA and Alabama State have offered me assistance and advice beyond what I would have ever anticipated," said Jackson. "Everyone has been great to me at Alabama State University, with Dean Hingorani and Instructor Smith really offering me the best regular and important advice on how to succeed both in school and later in business."
Source: Alabama State University.
Original content:
https://www.alasu.edu/coba-student-wins-big-internship
