WINONA LAKE — Grace accounting alumna Natalie Sell was recently recognized as a 2023 High-Grade Winner by the Indiana Certified Public Accountant Society (INCPAS).
As an award winner, she scored one of the top 10 highest cumulative scores in the state for the 2023 Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Sell is the second Grace graduate in two years to receive this honor.
Sell, of Hartwick, N.Y., enrolled initially at Grace to study marketing. It was not until she took financial accounting as a sophomore with Grace College Professor of Accounting Dr. Roger Stichter that she decided to switch her major to accounting.
“The subject matter came easily to me, and I felt challenged and fulfilled,” said Sell. “It wasn't long before Stichter pulled me aside and suggested I enroll in intermediate accounting to see how I liked it. Though it was the hardest class I had ever taken, the long homework hours did not deter me from switching my major.”
After a few advising meetings with Stichter, Sell quickly decided she would take the CPA exams after she graduated. She applied to Grace's master’s degree in business administration program to reach the required 150 credit hours for the CPA, and she earned both degrees in four years through Grace’s accelerated bachelor’s and master’s program.
According to Sell, courses with Stichter were crucial for preparing her for the CPA exam. The courses not only covered exam materials but also taught Sell, who logged more than 500 study hours for the CPA, how to commit time to study.
Perhaps most influential for Sell was how the School of Business emphasized the importance of character, competence and service in the corporate world.
“Dr. Stichter was a proponent of the idea that the business world needs people of faith and integrity, a principle I strive to live by in my career,” Sell remarked. “Running a good business is not just about the bottom line - it is about loving your neighbor through meeting the needs of employees and customers.”
Calla Andrews, the coordinator of academic support services at Grace's Morgan Library, also had a marked influence on Sell.
“As my supervisor at the Learning Center, she exemplified an intentional and loving form of leadership,” said Sell. “She empowered and trusted me professionally, all while being invested in what was going on in my personal life, setting an example for the type of leadership I hope to one day demonstrate.”
As a senior at Grace, Sell was bestowed the William P. Gordon Excellence in Business Award, an honor given to only one business student each year, the release from Grace states. She was also selected to speak at Grace College’s 2023 Commencement ceremony.
Today, Sell is a tax associate at Katz, Sapper & Miller in Fort Wayne where she interned as a student in 2022. She began her full-time position in the fall of 2023, in which her responsibilities look different every day, the release states.
“I could be preparing tax returns for individuals, businesses, or nonprofits; projecting quarterly estimates; cleaning up books, and the list goes on,” said Sell. “I have always loved learning, and there is no shortage of that in public accounting.”
Sell, along with her family and friends, attended the Indiana Certified Public Accountant Society’s banquet ceremony in Indianapolis on Nov. 22.
To learn more about Grace College’s accounting program, visit grace.edu/programs/ accounting/.