JOHNSON CITY (May 26, 2020) – East Tennessee State University alumnus Ryan Lynch is among 133 Certified Public Accountant (CPA) candidates nationwide to earn the 2019 Elijah Watt Sells Award.
The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the American Institute of CPAs
(AICPA) in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Exam. Elijah Watt
Sells was one of the first CPAs in the U.S., was active in the establishment of the
AICPA and played a large role advancing professional education within the profession.
Nearly 75,000 individuals sat for the CPA Exam in 2019 with only 133 candidates meeting the criteria to receive the prestigious award. To qualify, candidates must obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, pass all four sections on their first attempt and have completed testing during 2019.
Ryan Lynch, a Morristown, Tennessee native, is among the select few to receive this honor. Lynch graduated from ETSU in 2018 with degrees in both Finance and Accounting, and was one of only three award recipients in the state of Tennessee.
“My four years at ETSU provided the pedestal I needed in preparing for the exams,” Lynch said. “I feel extremely fortunate to have attended a university that provided a rigorous curriculum, outstanding and engaging student organizations, and most importantly, professors, advisors, and administrators that consistently took the time to invest in my academic and professional success.”