No one was more surprised than Alexander Tave (BBA ’22) to hear he’d won an Accounting Excellence Award from the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA) Education Foundation. Tave is a UHD alum and current candidate in the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAC) program at UHD’s Marilyn Davies College of Business (MDCOB).

“It’s incredible that out of all the Accounting students at UHD, I was chosen for this recognition,” Tave said. “It is truly an honor.”

Tave earned his bachelor’s degree in Accounting at MDCOB in summer of 2022 and immediately jumped into the MPAC program. “The MPAC is designed specifically to prepare students to sit for the CPA exam once the degree is completed,” he said. “That really appealed to me. I wanted to feel more confident in my professional abilities when I got out of school. When I realized I could finish the MPAC in a year, I decided to commit to it.”

“I nominated Alexander for the TXCPA award because of his outstanding academic career,” said Dr. Raghunathan Venugopalan, Associate Professor at MDCOB. “He’s currently enrolled in two of my graduate classes and continues to outperform. He is a dedicated student, and I am confident he will do well in this field.”

Tave started out his college career pursuing a degree in music performance, but after graduation, he decided to change course. He enrolled at MDCOB and began working toward his Accounting degree. Why UHD? “I knew people who attended UHD,” he explained. “They all had good things to say about the Accounting program.”

Tave’s experience at MDCOB confirmed the positive recommendations, especially the quality of professors. In addition to Venugopalan, Tave noted two professors who helped him make the transition from creative arts to business. “Dr. Cynthia Lloyd has so much passion for what she does and made Accounting so interesting and exciting,” he said. “And Dr. Marvin Williams taught Tax Accounting in a way that was relatable—he applied it to real life situations and made everything clear and concise.”

In spring 2022, Tave began interning with Carr, Riggs, & Ingram (CRI), a top 25 nationally ranked accounting and advisory firm in the Galleria area. CRI recently made him a job offer, which he accepted, that will start at the end of May. He plans to apply to sit for the CPA exam and start studying immediately after graduating with his Professional Accountancy master’s in August.

In recognition of his award, Tave received an individualized plaque, presented by Dr. Zishang Liu, Accounting and International Business Department Chair, and Dr. Marilyn Dement, Associate Director of Graduate Studies (shown in top photo). His name and the year he won the award will be included on the permanent Accounting Excellence Award plaque at MDCOB. “I’m really thankful for this award,” Tave said. “It’s nice to have hard work recognized. I certainly don’t do it for recognition, but it's still nice when it’s recognized.”

Advice he would give to his fellow Accounting majors? “I would definitely consider getting into the MPAC program right after you get your undergraduate degree,” he said. “While everything you learned is still fresh.” He paused, then added, “There are times when it’s tough to get by and get everything done, but you have to keep your head down and keep pushing hard. If you just do your best, it’ll all work out in the end.”

Since 1969, TXCPA has been giving the Accounting Excellence Award to outstanding accounting students at Texas colleges and universities participating in the programs of the Accounting Education Foundation. For more information, visit the TXCPA website.