When Accounting graduate Emma Roszell (Bacc ’22, MAcc ’22) looks back on 2022, she will remember it as the year her hard work and perseverance added up to some impressive accomplishments.

Roszell graduated in the spring with her Bachelor of Accounting co-op degree, followed by her Master of Accountancy degree at Brock’s Fall Convocation — where she was recognized as the top graduate in her program — and she ended the year by finishing in the top one per cent in Canada on the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) Common Final Exam (CFE).

Accounting graduate Emma Roszell (Bacc ’22, MAcc ’22)

The results, released by CPA on Friday, Nov. 25, indicated that 4,648 candidates successfully wrote the exam across Canada in September, with only 59 being named to the prestigious National Honour Roll.

The exam represents an important milestone for CPA candidates who face rigorous academic, practical and examination requirements before they can use the internationally recognized designation of Chartered Professional Accountant.

“Everything I applied on the CFE I learned in the master’s program,” Roszell said. “They knew exactly what they needed to teach us to write the exam. The way everything was laid out made me feel ready. The best way to prepare for the CFE is this program.”

Despite the preparation, Roszell was still pleasantly surprised to learn about the results when a partner from her firm broke the good news. She credits Associate Professor of Accounting Pascale Lapointe-Antunes and Professor of Accounting Barbara Sainty for getting her ready to tackle the exam.

“I just trusted what Pascale and Barbara had taught us,” she said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting to be on the honour roll — it was shocking, and I was just happy to see I passed.”

Roszell is now working as a Senior Accountant at Root Bissonnette Walker LLP in Fonthill where she started as a high-school co-op student and continued to complete all her Bachelor of Accounting co-op terms.

At Goodman, both the Faculty and the Accounting Department were extremely proud to hear of Roszell’s achievement.

“We were so proud to hear of Emma’s fantastic results on September’s Common Final Exam,” said Goodman Dean Barry Wright. “It’s fantastic to hear that her talent will be staying in Niagara at Root Bissonnette Walker LLP.”

Fayez Elayan, Chair of Goodman’s Accounting Department, expressed congratulations to Roszell and said the department couldn’t be prouder of its students.

“Emma’s success is a reflection of Goodman’s values of professionalism, passion and perseverance,” Elayan said. “Many thanks to our dedicated faculty and staff, who facilitate excellent student experiences right here at Goodman.

“As the Chair of the Department of Accounting, my message to our local community, to Canada and beyond is if you want to learn accounting, come to Brock. If you are looking for first-class accountants, Brock is your destination.”

Goodman will further congratulate all successful alumni who wrote the CFE this year at the CFE convocation in 2023.