Achievements, Announcements & More
Announcing the 2024 Ignite Scholarship Recipients
Ignite scholarships are awarded to first- and second-year college students from diverse backgrounds pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field.
We are delighted to announce the 30 recipients of our 2024 Ignite scholarship—selected from more than 375 applicants. That’s the largest applicant pool since the program’s inception.
The Ignite Scholarship Program
Established by the Moss Adams Foundation in 2012, the Ignite Scholarship program awards $2,500 scholarships to first- and second-year college students from diverse backgrounds pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field. The scholarships are applied to tuition and associated costs for the upcoming academic year.
“We have a good variety of scholars this year who have come to us through junior colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions,” said Bianca Favela (she/her). As a diversity senior recruiter, Bianca applies inclusion & diversity strategy within the firm’s recruiting efforts.
“We also have students living with disabilities and a few Indigenous scholars who are interested in our Tribal & Gaming industry,” Bianca added. “Our goal is to reach students early so they can grow with our firm.”
Every scholarship recipient will receive an invitation to attend ”TakeOff!”—our diversity leadership externship. Recipients work with a Moss Adams mentor for career advice throughout the academic year. Bianca says mentorship was added to the program based on student feedback.
“Many of our scholars haven’t had access to the accounting industry before,” Bianca explained. “Having someone who they relate to that can have honest discussions with them about the industry is important to students.”
Since joining Moss Adams in 2022, Bianca has observed the growth of the Ignite Scholarship program and its impact on historically underrepresented students pursuing a career in the accounting industry. In the 12 years since the program’s inception, 28 Ignite Scholarship recipients have been hired for internships and full-time positions. Bianca hopes the program continues to grow.
“I grew up in a predominantly Latinx neighborhood, so I know the gaps between folks in my community and corporate industries,” Bianca said.
“Some of our Ignite scholars transition into internships with us. When they go back to their campus, they share their experiences with others, which brings new talent into our orbit—sometimes, these are students we may have missed. It warms my heart to help people launch their careers or see the opportunities available at Moss Adams.”
2024 Recipients
Congratulations to the 2024 scholarship recipients, including:
- Katherine Calixto Miguel, University of Denver
- Kimberly Calzada Magana, Cerritos College
- Adam Campbell, Howard University
- Luis Cerecer, Irving Valley College
- Robert Chua, Pasadena City College
- Daniel DeMatos, Sam Houston State University
- Lily Fang, Santa Clara University
- Ruben Garcia, Santa Rosa Junior College
- Shaylee Gonzalez, University of Arizona
- Ryan Haddad, University of California, Berkeley
- Lourdes Lopez, University of California, Davis
- Alyson McCallop, Kansas State University
- Fikir Melku, University of Washington
- Brian Mora Solis, Cerritos College
- Jerome Parris, Florida A&M University
- Kenia Penaloza, University of Oregon
- Tina Pham, University of Houston
- Tiana Ramos, Western Washington University
- Xaiver Reese, Texas State University, San Marcos
- Oscar Robles-Nunez, University of Washington
- Gabrielle Samilton, University of California, Berkeley
- Musea Simon, University of Oregon
- Ayomide Siwoku, Tarrant County College
- Angeline Sutandinata, University of Washington
- Frederika Thomas, Navajo Technical College
- Michaiah Toney, Los Rios Community College District
- Trinity Tran, California State University, Fullerton
- Pablo Vasquez, Western Washington
- Harini Vijeyanandh, University of Washington
Some recipients chose not to be included in our announcement.
Empowering the Next Generation
Moss Adams is committed to cultivating the next generation of talent in our industry. We’re working hard to invest in our future by strengthening our talent pipeline, including finding people with diverse backgrounds and experiences that reflect our communities and the clients we serve.
Learn more about career opportunities at Moss Adams.
Go Beyond the Desk
At Moss Adams, we believe in the power of possible to empower our clients and people to pursue success however they define it. Explore stories about our professionals, including their personal achievements, at our Beyond the Desk page.