From left are Stacey Strack, vice president of the Fort Wayne chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors; Noel Negowski, Grace College student and winner of 2017 IIA scholarship competition; Scott Brown, president of the Fort Wayne chapter of IIA.

WINONA LAKE — Noel Negowski, daughter of Stephen and Denise Negowski of Bath, Ohio, was recently selected for a $1,000 scholarship at the annual Fort Wayne chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors student night. Negowski is a junior at Grace College, simultaneously earning her bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in business administration through Grace’s blended degree program.

This year, 12 students from area colleges competed for the IIA scholarship. “IIA invests in the scholarship competition because we believe it’s an investment for the future of our profession,” said Stacey Strack, senior security and controls adviser at The Mako Group in Ft. Wayne. Strack is the vice president of IIA’s Ft. Wayne chapter; she also organized the student night competition. “We hope the scholarship provides winners with opportunities they might not have had before,” Strack added.

“This scholarship is such a blessing,” said Negowski. “It couldn’t have come at a better time.” Negowski believes she was chosen for the scholarship because her essay accurately demonstrated her passion for a career in accounting. Negowski aspires to model strength and humility in a challenging work environment in the accounting field upon graduation.

During her time at Grace, Negowski has completed several internship and Applied Learning experiences. “I did two mini internships last summer at Shields-Blice CPAs, in Fairlawn, Ohio, as a payroll intern and at Lipkin & Co., in Akron, Ohio, as an accounting intern. These counted toward my APL credits,” said Negowski. “This past January, I started at Zimmer Biomet, in Warsaw as an international tax intern.”

After college, Negowski plans to take the CPA exam, which will allow her to become licensed as a U.S. Certified Public Accountant. “Hopefully I’ll get to work for a big firm like Erst & Young,” she said. Negowski plans to graduate from Grace in May, 2018, with a bachelor in accounting and master in business administration.

Grace offers an innovative three-year bachelor’s degree program in each of its 70-plus majors which can save students a full quarter off their total college cost. With the blended degree program, students like Negowski can earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree in just four years.

Career preparation is also a top priority at Grace; the Center for Career Connections at Grace has developed partnerships with more than 250 Hoosier businesses and organizations from which students may choose to apply their classroom learning and explore their desired career path. Using these resources, students complete 12 hours of APL credits necessary for all bachelor’s degrees at Grace. APL experiences help students shape their career aspirations and hone skills learned in the classroom.