The Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia (CGA-BC) admitted 502 new members into the accounting profession over the weekend at its 2013 Convocation.
Richard Washington of Lake Country was awarded the Level 1 Tuition Scholarship by the CGA-BC Educational Foundation.
In her address to the graduating class, CGA-BC chair Candace Nancke, CPA, FCGA, encouraged new CGAs to embrace change in order to succeed.
“I have no doubt that, armed with self-confidence, a willingness to accept help from others and the ability to adapt to change, each of you will be able to capitalize on every opportunity that is open to you,” she said.
Nancke also urged graduates to exceed their own expectations by challenging themselves personally and professionally. This “can be difficult, but in today’s fast-changing world we have to be willing to look at what we’re doing and adapt accordingly—and quickly—before our past practices become so entrenched that we cannot imagine doing anything else. You should have the courage and self-confidence to try difficult things because getting past the difficulty is how we grow and discover new limits to what we can achieve.”
The accounting profession itself is also adapting and changing, Nancke noted, as all of the bodies representing Canada’s more than 170,000 professional accountants are now participating in merger discussions, or have united under the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) designation.
Class valedictorian Ryan Castaneda, of Surrey, described obtaining the CGA designation as an evolution that begins with a hunger for knowledge and is realized by obtaining practical skills and experience. “Employers highly value the knowledge and skills gained by CGA students, and I definitely earned more as I advanced through the CGA program. We are now well-educated and trusted advisors and leaders. Let’s go out and make a big impact on this world.”
The Nov. 2 ceremony marked the culmination of several years of dedicated study, work, and personal sacrifice. Each graduate adhered to the highest professional standards, passed a rigorous series of accounting exams and met stringent requirements for practical experience to qualify for membership.
The Association honoured the highest marks, including Wendy Howell of Kelowna.