I am proud to announce that I am one of the winners of the 2020 Excel University Scholarship! This award is given to a select few accounting students each year who show dedication and hard-work. I received a cash award plus enrollment into the Excel University Graduate Certification program thanks to the support of the Excel University Alumni Association. The scholarship will assist me as I work to earn my B.S. in Accounting at Queens University of Charlotte!
Here is a part of my application essay about the interesting ways I've used Excel:
Once I discovered the power of Excel in my computer classes in high school, I fell in love with it!
During my experience of being a staff accountant, I have utilized Excel every day in one way or another. Excel is the tool I used to create a tax workpaper for my colleagues and I to use. To create the workpaper, I used a variety of functions such as VLOOKUP, data validation, nested IF functions, and conditional formatting.
In addition, I created a workbook for my company to use in order to keep track of clients during tax season. It is a “master” file of our clients, where they are at in the tax return process, their assigned tax preparer, and shows whether or not they have signed the firm’s required forms.
The first worksheet in the workbook shows an “at a glance” overview of the subsequent worksheets’ data. That sheet utilizes tables and graphs to interpret the returns that are completed, awaiting signature pages, in review, in preparation, or have documents still getting processed. It also shows each tax preparer and the amount of returns completed by each. It shows the amount of returns left to be completed and the amount of returns needed to be completed per day in order to complete all returns before the Tax Day deadline.
Outside of the workplace, I utilize Excel to create my school schedule. I also use it to create my monthly budget. As a self-paying college student, I have to be very cognizant of where I spend my money. I keep track of my purchases and do not allow myself to spend in excess of my paycheck. I am able to save money after receiving my paycheck and Excel is such a helpful tool for me to keep track of my budget.
In my budget spreadsheet, I use Excel tables to sort and categorize my expenses to easily track my spending habits. It is so important for younger people to understand how to use money as a tool to reach goals in life. My current goal is to finish my bachelor’s degree without taking out a gargantuan amount of loans in the process. After I reach my goal, there will be other life goals I will save towards. Excel is an integral part of both my job and attainment of my personal financial goals through budgeting.
Click here to visit the blog of Jeff Lenning, CPA, creator of Excel University, and see his post about the 2020 scholarship winners!
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