NHS Students Honored As Tops In Accounting

By Larissa Lytwyn

Naugatuck Valley Community College recently honored junior Nicole LeBron and seniors Lynn Cupero and Caitlin Sullivan for being the top three accounting students at Newtown High School.

This is the first year the NVCC accounting department included state high schools in their annual recognition of top scorers.

While the Newtown High School students agreed that the calculations involved in accounting are fairly basic, all emphasized the extreme tediousness of the process.

“If you make one mistake, your totals are completely off and you answer will be totally wrong,” said Nicole.

“The problems tend to be very long, too,” added Lynn.

Nicole, who said she has always performed well in math courses, took the accounting class as an elective to fulfill academic credit.

“I didn’t expect it to be as simple as it was,” she said. The class has inspired her to consider majoring in accounting when she goes to college.

“I can definitely see myself studying accounting in the future,” she said.

Best friends Lynn and Caitlin, president and vice president, respectively, of the Newtown High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), took the accounting class to sharpen their skills for the mathematical aspect of their shared career goal: marketing.

Lynn was recently accepted at Elon University in Elon, N.C. “Elon is close to where my family is moving,” Lynn explained. “The school also has an excellent corporate communications program! I want to pursue marketing and advertisement production.”

While most people press the “mute” button when commercials interrupt their favorite television shows, Lynn watches them with rapt attention.

“I love ads,” she laughed. Her interest in marketing has been partly inspired by her mother. “My mom designs websites and has been involved in advertising,” Lynn said. “I’ve always thought [marketing] was fascinating! I consider myself very creative and want to both design and sell ads.”

Caitlin is also leaning toward a business career. She wants to attend Castleton State College in Castleton, Vt., or Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.

“I became interested in business and advertising through some marketing classes that Lynn encouraged me to take,” said Caitlin. “I really enjoyed them.”

The accounting course, further developing her math skills, are “important,” she said, to a marketing career. “You have to be able to do every part,” she said.

As leaders of the school’s FBLA, Lynn and Caitlin have directed members into conferences and competitions with high schools throughout Connecticut.

“In an FBLA meet, we can be challenged to do anything,” said Lynn, “from accounting to web design to public speaking.”

“Everything necessary to be successful in the business world,” added Caitlin.

Recently, the NHS FBLA won top honors at a statewide competition.

When the popular television show The Apprentice was mentioned, both girls’ eyes lit up.

“I would love to be on that show!” Lynn declared.

Caitlin laughed. “Me too,” she said.

Nicole, Lynn, and Caitlin were recently honored in a ceremony at NVCC; each student received a certificate of accomplishment.

The girls agreed that the recognition was good for their academic careers in high school and beyond.

“I will definitely include this on my resume,” said Lynn.