VCU Business

Arthur (AJ) Etienne
Student of the Year

AJ exemplifies accounting student excellence. As the 2024–2025 president of VCU’s Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, he demonstrates strong leadership skills and a talent for building connections among his peers, accounting professionals and the community. In recognition of his academic excellence and leadership, AJ was named a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholar and awarded the Stewart Family Scholarship for 2024–2025. He completed an assurance internship at BDO in 2024 and has been selected for an audit internship at Deloitte in the summer of 2025. After graduation, AJ plans to pursue CPA licensure and a career in public accounting.

Christopher Limm
Distinguished Service Award

Christopher is an enthusiastic and outgoing student who brings joy to those around him. As the vice president of VCU’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter, he has been an engaged and dedicated member of the organization for several years. Christopher has completed tax internships at RSM and Keiter. After graduating in December 2025, he plans to pursue CPA licensure and a career in public accounting.

Emma Laurent
Distinguished Service Award

Emma serves as the director of retention for VCU’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter. In this role, she supports and promotes the chapter with energy and dedication as it engages in professional networking events and community outreach. Emma also served as the secretary of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) in fall 2023 and as treasurer of Le Velvet, VCU's K-pop club, in 2023–2024. She has completed internships at the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts, RSM and Brown Edwards. After graduation, Emma plans to pursue CPA licensure and a career in public accounting.

Ahmad Hussain
Ann G. and Barney Roland Freasier, Sr. Tax Award

An accounting and finance double major, Ahmad has demonstrated academic excellence across both disciplines, including earning top grades in taxation. He currently holds a tax internship with The Roseline Group and previously completed an audit/tax internship at Harris, Hardy & Johnstone. Ahmad is also a student leader, serving as the director of community service for VCU’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter. After graduation, he plans to pursue CPA licensure.

Michelle Chen
Student of the Year

Michelle is an outstanding student and future accounting professional, double majoring in accounting and finance. She demonstrates a strong work ethic, reflected in her role as vice president of Beta Alpha Psi. During her time at VCU, Michelle completed internships with KPMG, Keiter CPAs, the State Corporation Commission and Harris Hardy & Johnstone PC. In recognition of her academic achievements, she received the Controllers Executive Roundtable, Walter Lessing and John Sperry scholarships. After graduation, she will join KPMG as a tax associate.

Joana Muller
Distinguished Service Award

Joana deserves recognition for the tremendous effort she has put forth as president of Beta Alpha Psi. She has been the driving force behind numerous events connecting VCU students with accounting professionals, and under her leadership, the organization’s visibility and student membership have grown significantly. Joana also served as treasurer for the Model United Nations at VCU, where she played a key role in raising and managing the organization’s funds. She held a tax internship with BDO’s Richmond office and is currently deciding between competing offers for a full-time accounting role after graduation.

Marcos Saeed
Ann G. and Barney Roland Freasier, Sr. Tax Award

Marcos’ strong performance in taxation and overall academic excellence make him a deserving recipient of the Freasier Tax Award. While pursuing his accounting degree, he completed internships with Keiter CPAs, the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts, Brown Edwards and Northwestern Mutual. After graduation, Marcos plans to pursue a Master of Accountancy degree. He has been an active member of Beta Alpha Psi, serving as treasurer. His hobbies include basketball, and he has completed coursework on the National Basketball Association’s collective bargaining agreement.

Hector Luna
Student of the Year

Hector Luna is an outstanding student and future accounting professional. He demonstrates a strong work ethic and a sincere interest in others, shown through his active engagement in Beta Alpha Psi, where he serves as treasurer. In recognition of his academic achievements, Hector was named a PCAOB Scholar and has received the Thomas M. Berry Jr. Scholarship from the VSCPA Educational Foundation, the Chuck Gallagher Endowed Scholarship from VCU Business and the Stewart Family Scholarship from the VCU Accounting Department. After graduation, he will join Keiter and pursue CPA licensure.

Jeffrey Kum
Distinguished Service Award

Jeffrey Kum deserves recognition for the tremendous effort he has put forth as president of Beta Alpha Psi. In this role, he has been instrumental in bringing innovative ideas to life that benefit the VCU accounting community. Notably, the highly successful inaugural VCU Accounting Expo was his brainchild. A high-achieving and hardworking scholar, Jeff has completed internships with PwC, KPMG and Withum, and has received several competitive scholarships. After graduating in May, he will pursue CPA licensure and begin his career as an audit associate at PwC’s Seattle office.

Shawndel Holder
Ann G. and Barney Roland Freasier, Sr. Tax Award

Shawndel Holder’s strong performance in taxation and overall academic excellence make her a deserving recipient of the Freasier Tax Award. A senior in the VCU B.S. in Accounting program, she plans to continue her education in a Master of Accountancy program while pursuing CPA licensure. Her academic work is distinguished by qualities that will serve her well as an accounting professional—she is highly organized, trustworthy, detail-oriented and skilled at managing the demands of a fast-paced professional environment.

Simranjeet Kaur
Student of the Year

Simranjeet stands out for her exceptional scholarship and leadership accomplishments. She currently holds a 3.867 GPA and serves as director of community service for VCU's Epsilon Zeta chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. While managing a rigorous course load, she has completed internships at BluePrint Automation and Harris, Hardy & Johnstone. In summer 2022, she will intern with Deloitte, a Big Four public accounting firm. After graduation, Simranjeet plans to continue working in public accounting while pursuing CPA licensure.

Kelsey Watlington
Distinguished Service Award

Kelsey demonstrates an outstanding commitment to service. She serves as president of VCU's chapter of Beta Alpha Psi and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. Among her accomplishments, she led an initiative between Beta Alpha Psi, the Virginia Society of CPAs and KPMG to donate school supplies and books to Carver Elementary, and she captained an award-winning ethics competition team. As a student, Kelsey worked in the accounting department at Averhealth, where she made an impact by championing process improvements. In her senior year, she interned with Deloitte and will return as an auditor after graduation.

Brian Evans
Ann G. and Barney Roland Freasier, Sr. Tax Award

This award is presented annually to an outstanding VCU student who has demonstrated exceptional promise in the field of taxation. Brian completed the post-baccalaureate certificate in accounting in December 2020 and is currently fulfilling the requirements for the Master of Accountancy with a concentration in data analytics. He consistently earns top grades in his taxation and other accounting courses and is actively involved in Beta Alpha Psi, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also in the process of sitting for the CPA exam.

Laura Cooper
Student of the Year

Michael has provided distinguished service to the department, university and community. He served as president of Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society, during the 2020 school year. In this role, he helped lead Beta Alpha Psi’s efforts to host a speaker series, the annual Leaders Workshop and Meet the Firms event for recruiters and other networking opportunities. Michael also spearheaded Beta Alpha Psi’s community volunteer efforts with Feed More and VITA. He is pursuing his Master of Accountancy and CPA certification before starting as an audit associate with Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP in January 2022.

Michael Viola
Distinguished Service Award

Michael has provided distinguished service to the department, university and community. He served as president of Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society, during the 2020 school year, leading the organization’s efforts to host a speaker series, the annual Leaders Workshop, the Meet the Firms event for recruiters and other networking opportunities. Michael also spearheaded the group’s community volunteer initiatives with Feed More and VITA. He is currently pursuing his Master of Accountancy and CPA certification before starting as an audit associate with Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP in January 2022.

Christopher M. Pirrello
Ann G. and Barney Roland Freasier, Sr. Tax Award

This award is presented annually to an outstanding student who has completed at least six hours of taxation courses at VCU and demonstrated exceptional promise in the field of taxation. Christopher excelled in Tax Accounting, Advanced Tax Accounting, and Tax Research and Planning courses at VCU. After graduating, he will pursue his CPA designation and plans to continue his career at Capital One.

Derek Hetrick
Student of the Year

Derek Hetrick has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in both scholarship and leadership. He is graduating with a 3.875 GPA in accounting and was selected for and completed three internships. During his time at VCU, Derek served as president of the VCU National Association of Black Accountants for one year and as secretary for another. After graduation, he will pursue a Master of Accounting with a concentration in data analytics and begin his career as an auditor with KPMG, a Big Four public accounting firm.

Justin Nedwick
Distinguished Service Award

Justin Nedwick has provided distinguished service to the department, university and community. He served as president of Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society, during the 2019-20 school year. In this role, he helped lead the organization’s efforts to host an all-day leadership summit, a speaker series, the annual Meet the Firms event for recruiters and other networking opportunities. Justin also spearheaded Beta Alpha Psi’s community volunteer initiatives with Feed More and VITA. He plans to pursue his CPA certification after completing his Certificate of Accounting.

Hung N. Loung
Ann G. and Barney Roland Freasier, Sr. Tax Award

This award is presented annually to an outstanding graduating senior who has taken at least six hours of taxation courses at VCU and has demonstrated the most promise in the field of taxation. Hung earned top grades in both Tax Accounting and Advanced Tax Accounting. After graduating, Hung will pursue her CPA and will work with tax in a public accounting firm.