Throughout her time at Waynesburg University, senior public accounting major, Addy Knetzer has been known for her athletic achievements as a basketball player and a shot-put thrower in track and field.

But, Knetzer has also excelled in the classroom, and Feb. 5 she was recognized as one of three students to win an Institute of Internal Auditors Outstanding Accounting Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh chapter.

According to the IIA website, the criteria for the honor includes maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or above—Knetzer has a cumulative of 3.7—as well as significant professional or community service and experience in leadership positions.

The three winners, including Point Park University students Andre Bennett and Chereese Langley along with Knetzer, also received a $2,000 scholarship check to be used for educational purposes.

The 28 applicants from 11 different schools also had to submit an essay on the importance of internal auditing.

Although Knetzer had been recognized for her essays in the past, she didn’t have high expectations of being one of the students picked for the Outstanding Accounting Achievement award.

“I didn’t know how big the pool of students was. So, I didn’t really think I would win,” Knetzer said. “I thought there was a small chance, Knetzer said. “I’ve won [awards for] essays in the past, so I always thought it was possible. I don’t think that writing essays and applying for scholarships are ever a waste of time because there’s always a possibility you can get it.”

When Knetzer found out she was a recipient, she was excited about the financial benefits.

As a public accounting major, Knetzer needs 150 credits to get her Certified Public Accountant [CPA] license, and she will have to take classes in the summer to fulfill that requirement.

When Knetzer found out she was one of the winners, she was relieved because the scholarship can help her pay for those extra classes.

“I was super happy because I knew that I wouldn’t have to pay for summer school out of my own pocket,” Knetzer said.

Knetzer was influenced to pursue the scholarship by Jayne Olshanski, assistant professor of accounting.

Although the award has been available for years, Olshanski isn’t sure if anybody had ever applied.

When Olshanski saw the scholarship offer from the IIA last year, she gave some of her classes instructions on how to apply, and encouraged her students to do so.

Knetzer was the only one to apply, and ended up winning.

Olshanski has had Knetzer in her classes over the past two years and describes her as a “hard-working, great student.”

“My perspective on Addy is that she’s a champion,” Olshanski said. “She gives the effort to succeed. She doesn’t let failure stop her. She reaches out for assistance and utilizes the resources available to her to

succeed, and she’s down to earth. She can communicate and get along with people readily, and that drives good communication and just mutual respect.”

A strong work ethic, whether in sports or academics, is something that Knetzer has emphasized in her time at Waynesburg.

In sports, Knetzer earned All-American honors in track and field, placing fourth in the shot put at the national tournament last spring.

As a forward on the women’s basketball team, she was an all Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) selection in her sophomore and junior years.

For Knetzer, while she puts a lot of time into sports, her achievements academically aren’t as natural to her.

“I think I work hardest in the classroom to do well,” she said.

“Athletics come naturally to me. I work very hard on the [basketball] court and in the weight room to be good at sports, but I [also] work hard in the classroom to be where I need to be. It’s not that I’m naturally smart, I just work hard.”

According to Olshanski, Knetzer is the first Waynesburg student to win the Outstanding

Student Award, and she said the business department will continue to seek similar scholarship opportunities for its students.

After graduation, Knetzer will intern at Holsinger PC, a public accounting firm, where she hopes to begin her career as an auditor.