By Heather C. Mick ’11

Alexis Fanelli ’10 was awarded the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (PIPCA) Award at Honors Convocation on March 27. The award is give to the senior selected by faculty on the basis of intellectual capacity and qualities of leadership.

“The PIPCA is a very well known organization and after receiving this award I felt very honored,” says Fanelli. “I definitely put a lot of time and effort into my schooling, so I was pleased that it paid off and that my professors recognized my hard work.”

Fanelli transferred to Arcadia University in her junior year. “Before Arcadia, I had very little knowledge of different cultures and I had no idea how big the world really is,” she says. “Coming to Arcadia really opened my eyes and forced me to come out of my comfort zone at times, which I found to be really beneficial and enjoyable. I have more of an open mind about many things and feel as though I gained a lot of wisdom through these experiences.”

Since coming to Arcadia, Fanelli also has participated in many campus organizations including the Honors Program, the Honors Council, and the Society for the Advancement of Business Administration (SABA).

“My first experience with SABA was going to New York City to visit NASDAQ and the Business Office of the United Nations while networking,” she says. “After that, I was charged with the responsibilities of organizing a trip to Baltimore, Md., to attend the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda Conference.”

Fanelli says that her ultimate goal is to get a master’s degree in accounting “in hopes of teaching accounting at a college level one day.” But for right now, her plans include studying for and passing the Certified Public Accountant exam over the summer.

In September she will be enjoying employment with the regional accounting firm Kriecsher Miller in order to gain even more experience to share with her future students.