Business and Ethics

High Honors for Honor Society Chapter

August 25, 2021

BAP Officer Board
Members of the Beta Alpha Psi student officer board. Top row from left: Kelsey Crowder, 21; Francisco Ruiz Duran, '21; Vendela From, 21, '22; Hayden Reynoso, '21. Bottom row from left: Riley Ohashi, '22; Keisha Lugito, '21,'22; Sabrina Xiao, '21; Amber Larsh, '21

For the fifth time since 2011, the Seattle University chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), an honor organization for financial information students and professionals, was recognized as a 2021 Gold Challenge Competition winner. 

The competition is sponsored by the KPMG Foundation and the winning chapters receive a $2,500 prize. Delta Eta was previously recognized as a Gold chapter from 2011-2014.

“Only 10 chapters receive this recognition each year, putting Seattle U in the Top 5 percent of all BAP chapters as far as recognition and status,” says Gabe Saucedo, PhD, associate professor of accounting and chapter advisor.

“While all chapter members made this possible, including both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 student officer boards, I want to give special props to outgoing President Keisha Lugito, ’21, ’22, incoming President Vendela From, ’21, ’22, and incoming Vice President of Marketing & Competitions Gabriella Candera, ’21,” says Saucedo. “Their leadership and artistic flair definitely attributed to this win.”

BAP recognizes that many chapters often go above and beyond what is required to become a “Superior Chapter.” To reward these chapters, the KPMG Foundation sponsors the  Gold Challenge Competition, which lets BAP students put their multimedia skills to use by creating a five minute video that explains and/or demonstrates why their chapter deserves the award or why a top student would want to become part of the BAP organization. 

The Seattle U students’ winning video submission is here.

Here are some other highlights of the chapter’s accomplishments:

  • As part of Seattle U Gives day in February, current members reached out to more than 100 alumni to raise funds for Koch’s Rising Star Scholarship, an endowment created to honor and recognize former Accounting Department Chair Bruce Koch for his exemplary teaching and demonstration of “care for the whole person.” The fund will provide scholarships to deserving accounting students in perpetuity. The Delta Eta students also unanimously voted to contribute $1,000 of chapter funds to the Koch scholarship, dollars from which were earned by being semi-finalists in the BAP Ethics Competition sponsored by Grant Thornton.
  • During a flash fundraiser July 3, students raised $675 from friends, family and supporters of the chapter, with all proceeds earmarked for buying back-to-school supply kits for Bailey Gatzert Elementary School. 
  • Ana Huante Jaimes, ’22, (Finance) was the 2021 delegate for Project Run With It, sponsored by Moss Adams. The project furthers BAP’s community service component and provides student members with an opportunity to engage in a real-world consulting project. Student participants work together in teams from across the country to develop solutions to real-life business problems of an actual not-for-profit  organization.
  • For the third consecutive year, Delta Eta was recognized in all three “Best Practices” event categories at the regional meeting, including a first-place finish each of the last three years. It was the only chapter in the Northwest region to garner this “3 X 3” achievement and received a total of $750 in prize money for this honor.