YSU accounting student awarded prestigious PCAOB scholarship

Madisen Kline, an accounting student in Youngstown State University’s Williamson College of Business Administration, has been selected as a 2026-27 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board PCAOB Scholar.

Kline will receive a $15,000 scholarship in recognition of her academic excellence and promise as a future accounting professional.

The PCAOB Scholars Program recognizes outstanding accounting students enrolled in accredited accounting degree programs across the country. Scholarship recipients are nominated by their institutions based on academic achievement and demonstrated potential to contribute to the accounting profession.

Kline is actively engaged in the YSU community as a member of the Economics Club, vice president of finance for Beta Gamma Sigma and a student in the Sokolov Honors College. She gained valuable professional experience as a part-time accounting intern with SSB CPA in Canfield during the spring semester, where she supported administrative accounting functions. She will return to the firm as a full-time accounting intern in spring 2027.

Established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the PCAOB Scholars Program is funded through monetary penalties collected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The program supports students pursuing accounting degrees at accredited institutions while strengthening the pipeline of highly qualified accounting professionals dedicated to protecting investors and serving the public interest.

Kline is among a select group of accounting students nationwide to receive the scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year. Her selection marks the second consecutive year that a Williamson College of Business Administration accounting student has earned this prestigious national recognition, reflecting the college’s continued commitment to preparing highly qualified accounting professionals.