2026 Scholarship Winners

I’m thrilled to introduce this year’s Excel University Scholarship recipients! These awards are made possible by the generous support of the Excel University Alumni Association. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to make this program a reality for the past 10 years.

This was our most competitive year yet — 91 applications, the most since the program began about a decade ago. Thanks to all of the students who applied; I know you have bright futures ahead. The field was full of strong candidates, and choosing was not easy.

The selected recipients stand out among their peers, and are terrific examples of the type of accounting student that the scholarship program was designed to assist. They are wonderful representations of the future of our profession. They are smart, hard-working, highly recommended by their professors, have incredible GPAs, and I was impressed by their leadership, accolades, and accounting skills.

This year, both recipients are being awarded the Excel University Academic Merit Scholarship. Congratulations to the 2026 Excel University Scholarship winners!

• Winner of the Excel University Academic Merit Scholarship: Bianca
• Winner of the Excel University Academic Merit Scholarship: LaNiyah

As part of the scholarship application, I asked for a short essay Interesting Ways I’ve Used Excel. I’d like to share portions of these essays below.

Bianca

While attending school, Bianca is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting at Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business (expected May 2028). She is a Trustees Scholarship recipient with a 3.96 GPA and consistent Dean’s List and Semester Honors recognition. Bianca has balanced rigorous coursework with leadership as VP Panhellenic Delegate for Alpha Phi, membership in the Brock-Wilson Center for Women in Business, and participation in the RSM Pathways Experience and the Doster Leadership Conference case competition (finalist among 40 groups). Her work experience includes lead server and hostess roles where she managed cash flow, POS reconciliation, and staff training with a strong focus on internal controls and accuracy.

Her accounting professor, Terra Maienbrook (Senior Lecturer in Accounting at Purdue), notes that Bianca stood out not only for strong academic performance in an upper-level accounting course, but for genuinely wanting to understand the “why” behind the material. She describes Bianca as detail-oriented, organized, dependable, curious, and professional — someone who puts in the effort to go beyond the right answer and will be a strong addition wherever she goes next.

Here are a few highlights from her essay:

One of the most interesting ways I have used Excel is to help me make everyday decisions. Instead of overthinking everything, I started building simple models to sort things out. For example, during busy weeks, I would list everything I needed to do and assign each task a score based on how important and urgent it was. Then I used formulas to rank them automatically. It might sound a little excessive, but it honestly made my life easier because it gave me a clear plan instead of a bunch of stress.

I have also used Excel to track my habits in a way that actually keeps me motivated. After learning more about data and modeling in Accounting Analysis and Modeling, I built a simple tracker for things like studying, working out, and sleep. I added some basic visuals like color changes and progress indicators so I could see patterns over time. It started to feel less like a spreadsheet and more like something interactive. I noticed trends I would not have picked up on otherwise, like how much more productive I was when I got enough sleep.

Another way I have used Excel is for personal finance, but not just basic budgeting. I have created models that let me test different financial choices. For example, I compared what would happen if I saved more money now versus spending a little more and saving later. By changing a few numbers, I could see how those decisions might play out in the future. This was something I first learned how to do in my Purdue course, and it made financial planning feel a lot more real and understandable.

LaNiyah

While attending school, LaNiyah is pursuing a B.S. in Accounting at Jackson State University in the W.E.B. Du Bois–Harvey Honors College as a first-generation scholar (expected Fall 2027; CPA eligibility expected May 2028). She carries a strong academic record (overall GPA near 3.9, with a 4.0 major GPA on her resume) with Dean’s List and President’s List recognition. LaNiyah interned in tax at Deloitte and serves as a Residential Assistant, Communication & Engagement Chair on the College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, Digital Engagement Director for the Accounting Society, and Vice President/Head Project Director of her modeling organization. She also holds a Microsoft Excel Certification and is active in multiple honor societies.

Her accounting professor, Lori T. Liddell-Jackson, CPA/ABV, CFE, gives LaNiyah her strongest recommendation. She highlights LaNiyah’s work ethic, intellectual curiosity, Deloitte internship, and commitment to creating opportunities not only for herself but for those who will follow.

Here are a few highlights from her essay:

As an accounting major, Excel quickly became part of my everyday life. At first, I only used it to complete homework assignments and calculate financial information. But as I became more comfortable with formulas, PivotTables, and data organization, I realized Excel wasn’t just helping me solve accounting problems—it was helping me think more critically and make better decisions.

One of the most rewarding ways I’ve used Excel has been through my leadership roles on campus. As president of my modeling organization, I wanted our executive board to operate more professionally. Instead of relying on handwritten notes or scattered messages, I began creating attendance trackers, budgeting spreadsheets, event planning timelines, and systems that kept everyone accountable. Watching a simple spreadsheet bring more structure and organization to our team showed me that leadership isn’t always about giving directions—sometimes it’s about creating systems that help everyone succeed.

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern in tax at Deloitte, where I saw Excel used in a completely different way. I worked with spreadsheets containing financial information, organized large amounts of data, and learned how professionals use Excel to improve efficiency and support important business decisions. It was exciting to realize that the same program I had been using in class and student organizations was also one of the most essential tools in one of the world’s largest professional services firms.

Once again, congratulations to our scholarship winners!

Again … a big THANK YOU to the Excel University Alumni Association members because your enrollments support this scholarship program!