Claflin University senior Amara Ransom had one goal in mind when she first joined the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) on campus over three years ago – grow the Claflin chapter so that it could receive a charter from the organization.

That goal was achieved in March 2008. Ms. Ransom does not accept credit for Claflin receiving the charter, citing the hard work of past student leaders and teamwork of current NABA members.

But recently, NABA gave the Claflin Accounting major her due credit by rewarding Ms. Ransom with a $10,000 scholarship, the organization's highest student award. Ms. Ransom is one of only four students nationally to receive the award, which is given to students that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to their chapters.

“I was very shocked and humbled. I wasn't working toward the award. I was just trying to help the chapter here,” Ms. Ransom said.

She will be able to apply that money towards graduate school.

“It definitely helps a lot,” she says.

The Savannah, Georgia native plans to pursue a Masters degree in both accounting and public administration. She hopes to leverage that wealth of knowledge in order to run a Fortune 500 company one day.

Ms. Ransom said the Claflin faculty has guided her toward the path of success she is on.

“Before I got here, I wasn't actually sure which direction I wanted to go,” she said. “Claflin has provided a lot of great opportunities for me; ” adding that attending Claflin and being a member of NABA has allowed her to travel extensively, network with other professionals and develop herself into a leader.

She is a past president and treasurer of the Claflin NABA chapter. During her final year at Claflin, Ms. Ransom hopes to continue to grow the membership of the University's NABA chapter.

For more information on NABA, visit http://www.nabainc.org/. For more information about the School of Business at Claflin University visit http://www.claflin.edu/.