After winning first place in the PricewaterhouseCoopers “extreme accounting” competition last weekend in New York City, a number-crunching quintet of University students landed sterling-silver Tiffany and Co. trophies and summer internships, and the team leader scored a full-time job with the competition’s sponsoring firm.
Led by accounting senior Sanaz Aghazadeh, the all-student accounting team, known as “The Producers Too,” had two weeks to create a presentation and video proposing a solution to a complicated accounting case study presented by executives at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
PricewaterhouseCoopers — an international accounting firm specializing in assurance, tax and advisory services — then selected five teams as finalists from universities throughout the country, flew them to New York and listened while the teams presented their projects.
“I had a really good feeling after the presentation,” said Aghazadeh, who interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers last summer and secured a job with the company after she graduates in May. “We did really well with the questions.”
This year is Aghazadeh’s second year participating in the competition. Her team received an honorable mention last year.
Barbara Apostolou, the accounting department chair and team mentor, said the win puts the University on the map nationally.
“Every firm in the country will say ‘we want to hire an LSU accounting graduate,’” Apostolou said.
Apostolou said this is a exactly what the Flagship Agenda is all about.
“We’re not just a football school,” Apostolou said. “We’re a top academic school, too.”
Aghazadeh said “The Producers Too” was the only team from the South among the finalists, and was proud to make a name for the University.
Aghazadeh said that on top of winning first place and having fun in New York — the team stayed for free at the Waldorf Hotel and won $10,000 in cash — the competition gives students an idea of what real life accounting is like.
Mattie Pourciau, an accounting sophomore and team member, said that after the team presented the project, members listened to lectures from PricewaterhouseCoopers partners to get information about future jobs and internships.
Pourciau said the competition also gave her the chance to make sure accounting is what she wants to do after college — and it is.
“I already spoke with a recruiter about an internship after my junior year,” Pourciau said.
Senior Bonnie Dye, junior Colton Fontenot and junior Daniel Fontenot made up the rest of the team.