Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics accounting junior Samantha Cruz-Araujo, who is in an audit internship this summer with accounting firm RSM US, is the proud recipient of a $10,000 scholarship from the RSM Foundation. Only 14 business and technology students receive this recognition each year.
Cruz is active as a member of Beta Alpha Psi, an honor society for finance and accounting students and professionals.
“As a first-generation and transfer student at CSUF, receiving the RSM scholarship felt like a dream,” said Cruz. “Higher education has always come with financial stress and uncertainty for me, but this award has lifted that burden and allowed me to focus on building my future. The pursuit of education should never be tarnished by financial pressure, and I’m incredibly grateful to no longer face that barrier.”
The 2024-25 academic year was Cruz’s first year at CSUF after earning an associate degree from Saddleback College. In the past few years, the School of Accountancy at Cal State Fullerton has built powerful and versatile transfer-focused relationships with Orange County community colleges, ensuring students such as Cruz are ready to lead and grow as accounting professionals even before they graduate.
Read more in this CSUF Business News article.