Candice Owens Follows Her Passion

Longwood University junior Candice Owens (right) showed the accountant's double-checking instinct early on. After taking a couple of accounting classes at Middlesex High School, she wanted to make sure it was the right career path for her, so she helped teach an accounting class as a high school senior.
Now Candice is working hard to build her résumé and knowledge base. She spent the last two years as president of the Longwood chapter of business leadership group Phi Beta Lambda and was elected president of the Virginia chapter in April. She also was honored with a 2011–2012 VSCPA Undergraduate Scholarship.

Candice credits one of her high school teachers, Carl McWhorter, with sparking her interest in accounting. It was then that she discovered her passion for the profession and started on the path that led her to Longwood, Phi Beta Lambda and the VSCPA.
"He helped me discover my way to connect my two favorite careers — law enforcement and accounting — into one," she said. "He was my Future Business Leaders of America advisor that gave me the business foundation needed to help me throughout my classes. He still supports me and guides me into the right direction to be successful in the accounting field."
 
Candice chose Longwood because of its small size, involved professors and outlets for community involvement. She hopes to sit for the CPA Exam in the spring of 2014 and work in fraud and financial forensics.

"My favorite part of accounting is the ability to connect multiple passions within this career."