In addition to being honored by the Georgia General Assembly, senior Marisa Acree also won the College's first Jennifer R. and Charles B. Rewis Award for Student Excellence in Accounting.

Management senior Marisa Acree felt deeply honored to be recognized this year as an outstanding scholar by the Georgia General Assembly.

Each year, the Georgia General Assembly recognizes one student from each school in the University System of Georgia for demonstrating great academic and personal achievement. For the second year in a row, Georgia Tech's outstanding scholar has been a management major.

"It's great for the College of Management to get this recognition," says Acree, who has maintained a 4.0 GPA to date. "There are so many students qualified for this honor. I feel excited and proud to represent Georgia Tech."

Auditing for Deloitte & Touche after Graduation

Acree, who also recently won the College's first Jennifer R. and Charles B. Rewis Award for Student Excellence in Accounting, is going to work as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche after graduation in May.

A native of LaGrange, Georgia, Acree says she knew she wanted to be an accountant before even enrolling at Tech. She'd first gained accounting exposure and experience job shadowing at a small firm in high school. Finding a 2008 internship with Deloitte through the Honorary Accounting Association's annual career fair helped position her for her upcoming job.

She appreciated that Georgia Tech's Atlanta location presented so many internship opportunities in the same city. "Unlike a commuter campus, there's a lot of green space and a close-knit community you can be a part of here," she says. "Then you look up at the skyline and remember you're in Atlanta, which offers so many benefits."

Serving the Campus and Greater Community

In addition to serving as president of Tech's Honorary Accounting Association and holding leadership roles in her sorority and other student organizations, Acree has extended her community involvement well beyond campus borders. She regular tutors inner-city youth through Bright Teachers and helps raise money and hold activities for children affected by HIV/AIDS. She also goes out of her way to help the homeless.

"I heard a speech at Tech that taught me that the homeless need friends, not just food and shelter, so I try to be a good friend to them," she says. "My friends and I regularly take extra food from the sorority to the homeless in Piedmont Park, and we sit and talk to them. They need encouragement and a listening ear. We try to empower them and tell them what they can do."

Acree has also made a great effort to mentor younger women on campus through Greek channels and informal means. "When I first started at Tech, I felt like older girls really helped me find my place, advising me in a lot of ways," she says. "Since then, I've wanted to do that for other women as well."