GSCPA Hosts Rising Professionals Program in Savannah Georgia
ATLANTA, GA -– The Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA) proudly brought its established Rising Professionals Program, an immersive, hands-on event designed to inspire high school juniors and seniors to explore the many opportunities within the accounting profession, to Savannah, Georgia.
Since its inception in 2015, originally launched as SHARP by Smith & Howard, the Rising Professionals Program has grown into one of GSCPA’s signature initiatives focused on workforce development and career awareness. Since 2016, GSCPA has hosted the program at its Atlanta headquarters, with the 2025 program held in the Forvis Mazars building. This program gives students a firsthand look at the dynamic and diverse opportunities within the accounting profession.
Building on the programs continued success, GSCPA expanded the program’s reach to Savannah, Georgia, further extending its impact across the state. The Savannah event was held at Oatland Island Wildlife Center, giving students in the coastal region the opportunity to experience the same engaging programming and meaningful exposure to careers in accounting closer to home.
The program welcomed over 30 students from 2 local high schools. Selection for the program was based on teacher recommendations, emphasizing each student’s interest in accounting and demonstrated leadership and community involvement.
The day kicked off with a welcome session led by Monisha Johnson, MM Johnson, and Denille Biddy, Rushton. Georgia Southern student, Mathurin Griffith then offered attendees a firsthand look at a typical day in the life of a college accounting major. He shared his personal journey toward pursuing the CPA designation, highlighting the challenges, opportunities and lessons he’s experienced along the way. The session concluded with an engaging Q&A, where students asked thoughtful questions about navigating coursework, preparing for the CPA Exam, gaining internship experience and building a strong professional network early in their careers.
The event also featured an interactive “Pins and Straws” leadership activity led by Maliece Whatley, an educator at Georgia Southern, where students learned about different management styles through on interactive group activity.
During the Lunch and Panel Discussion, students heard personal career stories, lessons, and advice from an accomplished group of professionals:
- Denille Biddy, Rushton
- Carrie Connell, Wipfli
- Monisha Johnson-Scott, MM Johnson CPA
- Debbie Thaw, Thaw & Company CPAs
- Maliece Whatley, Georgia Southern University
Throughout the day, students were evaluated by Denille Biddy who recognized those demonstrating exceptional leadership, teamwork, and engagement during the program. At the end of the day, three students were awarded $500, while two received $1,000 in scholarships. The success of this program is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors:
- Rushton & The Savannah Chapter
- MM Johnson CPAs
- The Georgia Society of CPAs
- Wipfli
GSCPA continues to expand outreach to Georgia high schools and strengthen its pipeline initiatives to attract the next generation of accounting professionals. For future Rising Professionals events, GSCPA is seeking volunteers, speakers, and scholarship sponsors.
For more information, contact Callie Hammond at chammond@gscpa.org or 404-504-2953.
About The Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA)
The Georgia Society of CPAs is the premier professional organization for CPAs in the state of Georgia. With nearly 12,000 members throughout the state, the purpose of GSCPA is to achieve excellence by providing superior advocacy, leadership, service, lifelong learning, and personal and professional development opportunities. For more information, visit www.gscpa.org.