Each year The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) selects one student to receive the prestigious Century Student Scholarship Award. On May 6, #InternationalManagementAccountingDay, Dixie State accounting student Ryan Miggin was announced as this year’s recipient! This award recognizes Ryan for his dedication as a volunteer leader and his passion for the management accounting profession.
Along with receiving this scholarship, Ryan was previously selected as one of five students to attend the IMA’s annual leadership conference held in Austin, Texas, in February 2020. His peers at the conference included students from BYU, Clemson, Washington State and Illinois State.
Attending the conference allowed Ryan a behind the scenes look of the organizational operations, meetings and structure of the IMA. “Going to this conference allowed me the opportunity to attend board meetings, and committee meetings with the leadership of the IMA,” shared Ryan. “Seeing how quickly, efficiently and directly they were able to run meetings and make decisions was a really cool hands on experience for me.”
For Ryan, one of the greatest aspects of the conference was that he didn’t have to simply be an observer. “Each of us were partnered with a member of IMA’s Board of Directors who served as a mentor to us for the conference,” said Ryan. “They would connect us with others, encourage us to give our opinions during board meetings and I know the mentorship relationship I built will continue.”
Ryan’s mentor for the conference was Olya Kovnatska, a corporate finance manager at United Rentals Inc. in Stamford, Conn. “Olya was awesome to work with! She gave me really advice about internships and how to gain the most from them. She expressed to me that she would love to mentor me throughout my career, and it was amazing to build that connection,” shared Ryan.
Since returning home from the conference, Ryan expressed he is excited to share with fellow accounting students and Dixie State students at large about the great benefits of being a member of IMA. From sharing about the connections that can be built with mentors, to how preparing for and taking the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) certification can impact their careers and how taking advantage of conferences can catapult them into great networking opportunities.
To learn more about Dixie State University’s accounting program, visit accounting.utahtech.edu.
