National Association of Black Accountants UTA Chapter develops tomorrow's future leaders

Tuesday, Feb 04, 2025 • Thomas Johns : thomas.johns@uta.edu

Student organizations have the ability to inspire and develop tomorrow’s leaders and young professionals. Through involvement with these organizations, members can broaden their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, build networks, develop leadership skills, and volunteer to help their members as well as their communities.

 

The University of Texas at Arlington National Association of Black Accountants, or NABA, helps students secure internships and jobs prior to graduation by providing networking opportunities, professional development, mentorship and support to their members.

 

“We help students build their toolbox by providing chances to grow their professional identities, networks, and experience to find jobs in fields like accounting and finance,” said Anika Larzeia, NABA University of Texas at Arlington Chapter president. “Through opportunities we’ve received in NABA, we gain leadership experience by engaging in general body meetings, inviting guest speakers, and facilitating workshops for professional development.”

 

Members of the National Association of Black Accountants UTA Chapter pose for a photo during an organization event. (Courtesy photo)

 

The NABA Chapter of UTA is a part of a national organization that empowers future Black business leaders in every step of their journey. The organization provides a platform to enhance skills and elevate the voices of students and members nationwide.

 

“I’ve grown a lot being part of the organization. I’ve learned better ways to communicate and how to find ways to learn from people who have a little more experience than me,” said Kehinde Akinyemi, UTA College of Business Finance Junior. “Through regular guest speaker events, I gained valuable knowledge and information and greatly improved my connecting skills. The organization reaches pretty far and gives us the opportunity to make helpful connections all over the country.”

 

Through networking events, members of the organization not only learn how to better communicate, but also build confidence within themselves to tackle future challenges.

 

“I never saw myself as being good with networking, I never really put myself out there,” said Victor Ibeke, UTA College of Business Accounting and Information Systems Sophomore. “NABA pushed me to open up and want to become better. Networking and communicating just became easier for me to do. Now I want to be able to get out and share that with other people who don’t know how to get out of their shells.”

 

Along with creating opportunities to grow valuable skillsets for business success, the UTA NABA chapter inspires the next generation of Black business leaders.

 

“When NABA began there were very few Black professionals in leadership positions in the accounting field. The organization was able to unlock those roles by elevating Black students voices and producing a massive amount of Certified Public Accountants,” said Samuel McNeal, UTA College of Business Accounting Sophomore. “Just seeing that environment where there are a lot of professionals that are my same skin-color making it up there helped inspire me to push forward.”

 

While the education students receive at the UTA College of Business is valuable for achieving success in the business world, students also gain leadership experience through participation within student organizations like NABA to help mold them into tomorrow’s leaders.

 

“It’s been inspiring. When I first thought of accounting, or just any corporate career field, I thought of it as an arena when trying to get to the higher rolls. I typically didn’t see myself as being in one,” McNeal said. “But through NABA, and seeing and meeting with professionals that have worked in large corporations, I’ve seen how they climb that ladder. It’s really shown me what it takes to get there.”

 

Through NABA, members lay the groundwork for future success by leading organization events, and learning from prominent business professionals. Through skills, information, and inspiration, student organizations develop young professionals to take on the world.

 

“Being a part of this organization has taught me to live exclusively within myself, because there’s a lot of opportunities out there,” Larzeia said. “If you only set your mind to doing a little bit, you’re not going to make it to the top. You have to develop yourself.”

 

Find out more about NABA and other student organizations here.

 

Student organization officers of the National Association of Black Accountants UTA Chapter pose for a photo at the UTA College of Business. (Photo by Jalen Larry)