The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), a world leader of the accountancy and finance profession, has recognized three top accounting students from the School of Business and Management at American University of Sharjah (AUS). The students were acknowledged at a ceremony held at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel earlier this month.

Three students were selected by a panel of faculty judges from AUS. As a first assessment, the students had to explain, in 300 words, why they considered themselves to be the accounting students of the year. The panel also collected information concerning academic achievements and requested comments from fellow faculty concerning the candidates.

The panel awarded the gold cup to Farah Basil Saffarini. According to the panel, "Farah is not just a top student academically but also devotes considerable time supporting her fellow students. She excels in research."

Winning the silver cup was Muhammad Raza, considered by the panel as "extremely engaged in the profession, a natural energetic leader, with an impressive list of extracurricular activities as well as top academic performance."

Samuel Mark John placed third. The panel stated, "The first president of AUS's Accounting Society, Samuel is passionate about the accounting profession with remarkable professionalism combined with academic ability."

Mark Spofforth, Deputy President, ICAEW and Amanda Line, Regional Director, ICAEW Middle East, presented the awards.

"The faculty of the AUS Department of Accounting is incredibly proud of these young winners. All three do not only have incredible professional and academic abilities, they also represent the best of the accounting profession with their politeness, integrity and responsible behavior," said Jeannette Vinke, Senior Lecturer in Finance and Accounting and representative of the judging panel. "There were many good entries, which makes us feel confident that the future of the accounting profession in the region is bright."

"It is fantastic to see young people excelling as they take their first steps in the accountancy profession," said Line. "The students who work so hard today will be the business and finance leaders of tomorrow, and it is great news for the region that this level of dedication and achievement is available. ICAEW is recognized worldwide for providing the highest professional qualifications and standards, and so it is with great pleasure that we are able to reward students of this caliber who are already showing such promise."

In attendance were AUS faculty members including Dr. Abed Al-Nasser Abdallah, Dr. Ashraf Khallaf and Erich Eischen, assistant professors in accounting. The ceremony was also attended by the winner's parents.