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The FIU Business chapter of ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals For America) has been named the organization's 2020 National Chapter of the Year. The award recognizes a chapter that exemplifies ALPFA's mission, vision and goals and demonstrates a commitment to providing development and leadership opportunities for its student members. In addition, Maria Jose Pineda, ALPFA FIU's president, was named 2020 Daniel Zamora National Student of the Year, the award named for the FIU accounting student and ALPFA president who died shortly before he was to receive his Master of Accounting degree in 2012. Zamora won the national honor in 2009. The award is presented to an individual who has shown an excellent balance between academics and community involvement and is actively involved in the student chapter.
Using a unique FIU Business-built blockchain, a multidisciplinary team of FIU students captured first place in the Association for Information System's national 2020 AIS Student Chapter Blockchain Challenge in March.
The national first-place victory is a remarkable achievement for the four-person FIU team forced to work together remotely, and under tighter deadlines, due to the COVID-19 social distancing environment. Using PantherChain, built by FIU Business leadership and faculty, they created a solution to an organic food supply chain challenge that was praised by competition judges for both its technical excellence and its usability.
The FIU Business chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA FIU) has won the Southern Region Outstanding Chapter of the Year award for 2020. In 2018, a dozen business students re-launched NABA's dormant FIU Business chapter to create a support network for business students of color. Under the leadership of faculty advisor Antoinette Smith, a professor of accounting, the chapter is thriving, with several dozen members maintaining a vigorous schedule; bringing in speakers from Big Four firms; organizing LinkedIn profile critique sessions, leadership symposiums and career preparedness workshops; and attending national and regional conferences.
The FIU Business Beta Alpha Psi student chapter has continued its remarkable record of excellence, capturing the organization's Gold Chapter Status for the eighth consecutive year in 2020. The chapter is one of only 10 student chapters to receive the recognition out of some 350 chapters worldwide. Qualifications to earn Gold Status include a focus on quality; being creative, innovative and inventive; and customizing goals and objectives to meet the specific needs of the chapter. Beta Alpha Psi is an honor organization for accounting, finance and information systems students and professionals.
