Smith + Howard Held Its 12th Annual Leadership Institute

Smith and Howard’s 12^th annual Leadership Institute for accounting students was held July 13-14, 2017. Twenty-five students from 10 different universities attended the event. The students participated in several activities during the program including:

• A tour of our office which gave them an opportunity to see the environment in which they would be working when they join the public accounting profession in the future
• A day in the life of a tax staff and an auditor to help determine which one best suited their interests
• An overview of the Accounting and Advisory department, as well as an overview of Smith and Howard Wealth Management
• A strengths assessment including a discussion on how to accentuate their strengths and minimize their weaknesses
• An informational session on the CPA exam
• Two panels that included partners and staff, with the opportunity to ask questions

On Thursday evening, the students and several members of Smith and Howard enjoyed:

• Dinner
• Networking opportunities
• A chartered bus for an off-site teambuilding activity. We divided into four smaller groups. Each group was challenged with clues and had to solve puzzles to earn their freedom and escape the room in less than 60 minutes.

Students who attended the Leadership Institute said it was an amazing experience.  They all had fun and gained valuable knowledge from the program.  Several students indicated that through this experience, they were able to clearly see that accounting was the right career path for them.  In addition, the day in the life sessions helped some students determine if they were interested in audit or tax.