“Receiving a scholarship like this drives me to be my best. People have invested a lot in me so I can receive an education and graduate from college. I do not take any of that for granted, so I constantly want to prove people right for believing in me.”

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Growing up in a small town outside of Monroeville, Alabama, Katie Wiggins’ career path wasn’t clear until her senior year of high school. As Ambassador for the Monroeville/Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, Wiggins had the opportunity to attend multiple business-related functions, grand openings, presentations, and community events. She’s been hooked on accounting—the language of business—ever since.

Her passion for accounting has paid dividends.

The third-generation Auburn student and junior in the Harbert College of Business’ School of Accountancy recently became the college’s eighth Public Company Accounting Oversight Board scholarship recipient, an award of $10,000.

The prestigious PCAOB Scholarship Program, now in its ninth year of funding awards, was created to satisfy a requirement of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Act mandates that the PCAOB use money collected from disciplinary penalties to fund a merit scholarship program for students in accredited accounting degree programs. Nominees must demonstrate an interest and aptitude in accounting and auditing.

“I am allowed to live out my dream because of scholarships like this,” said Wiggins. “My family and I are very grateful for all of the opportunities I have been given. The School of Accountancy has such a high standard for its students. Being held to that standard has pushed me to excel in my classes and not settle for ‘good enough.’ The School of Accountancy lays out multiple paths that you can take as an accounting student, with practically a step-by-step guide on how to achieve those goals. The guidance I received from the SOA is invaluable to me.

“Receiving a scholarship like this drives me to be my best. People have invested a lot in me so I can receive an education and graduate from college. I do not take any of that for granted, so I constantly want to prove people right for believing in me.”

Part of Wiggins’ academic drive at Harbert College can be traced to her first day of class in the fall of 2019. Wiggins noted that Dr. Andy McLelland asked students to place name tags on the front of their respective desks. “Dr. McLelland wanted to really get to know everyone’s names,” she said. Also, he wanted to go up and down the rows to ask questions on the material we were learning. This pushed me to make sure I really knew the material going into class from fear of not looking like I had no idea. He did that because when we have jobs, we will be asked questions on the spot from our employers and he wants us to be comfortable answering in that moment. Without that challenge, I do not know if I would have done as well in the class as I did.”

Wiggins looks forward to the future as she will complete a tax internship at Deloitte in Atlanta next spring. There, she relishes the thought of advocating for clients and trying to help them save money. She credited Colby Lakas, School of Accountancy Program Champion, for helping her land this valuable spot.

“She was always willing to meet with me when I had any questions and would give me her honest feedback,” Wiggins said. “I value her opinion because she was once a recruiter and knows what firms are looking for in new hires.”

Other recent PCAOB Scholarship recipients from Auburn University’s School of Accountancy include Makenzie Warnick (2019-20), Ben Seneker (2018-2019), Sarah Patrick (2017-18), Zach Blomeley (2016-17), Lauren Cleveland (2015-16), Brandon Steverson (2014-15), and Gabi Bailin (2012-13).