Austin Community College (ACC) alumna Jamie Castor is named one of the top CPA exam performers in the nation by the American Institute of CPAs.

Out of more than 86,000 candidates who took the national licensure exam in 2018, Jamie placed among the top performers. Her scores earned her the prestigious 2018 Elijah Watt Sells Award.

“I choose ACC because it was one of the strongest programs. It’s top ten in Texas for the CPA exam pass rate. It surprised me how well just a few years of evening classes prepared me. I figured that I would be steps behind students who majored in accounting at major universities.”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award is presented to candidates who score above 95.50 across the four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination on their first attempt. Jamie is the second ACC graduate to earn the recognition in recent years.  

“Most students spend years planning to become a CPA. I made this decision after going to work. Coming back and being surrounded by ACC professors and students with a variety of different background stories from all walks of life was so inspiring and educational. This experience really helped set me up to the future I want.”

Jamie graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Sports Management. Going to work as a bookkeeper with an accounting firm, she found her passion for accounting and decided to go back to school.

“ACC's accounting program was affordable and let me take evening classes. Being so flexible with the schedule made it easy to navigate while balancing classes with a full time job.”

Jamie completed her program at ACC  in 2016 and received her CPA license in August 2018. She is currently working as in assurance services for EY LLC in Houston.

For more information about the ACC’s Accounting Program, visit austincc.edu/accounting.