The Illinois CPA Society recognized outstanding achievement on the 2004 CPA Exam with Excel Awards presented at the Spring CPA Awards Reception in May. The Reception was held to recognize and celebrate those individuals who successfully completed the Uniform CPA Examination in Illinois during recent months.

Individuals earning the top three examination scores across the state were honored with Excel Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. Eleven others also received Excel Awards indicating they had achieved combined scores of 90 percent or better on all four sections of the exam within a six-month timeframe and were in the top five percent of Illinois scores.

Xin Yuan, CPA, who attended the University of Illinois and is now employed by Lucent Technologies Inc. in New Jersey, was awarded the Excel Gold Medal for achieving the highest score on the exam in Illinois.

Yan Zhange, CPA, also attended the University of Illinois and is currently working for DPM Mellon in New Jersey, received the Excel Silver Medal for achieving the second highest score on the exam in the state.

For achieving the third highest score on the exam in Illinois, Katie McDermott, who attended the University of Notre Dame and is now employed at Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP in Chicago, received the Excel Bronze Medal.

Other Excel Award recipients include: Erica Prindle, Michael Wolnik, Aimee Gloude, Ryan Krzmarzick, Dana Wahl, Douglas Frandsen, and Rory McKeague, who all attended the University of Illinois; Lauren O’Brien, who attended the University of Notre Dame; David Epstein who attended Northwestern University; Thomas Coburn, who attended Indiana University; and Jennifer Kaplan, who attended Northern Illinois University.

“On behalf of the Illinois CPA Society, I applaud each of these individuals on their incredible achievement,” states Elaine Weiss, president and CEO of the Illinois CPA Society. “Their dedication and talent is truly commendable and we are proud to welcome them to the CPA profession.”

The Excel Award, established in 1984 by the Society’s Board or Directors, is presented to new CPAs for outstanding performance on the Uniform CPA exam. The Illinois CPA Society, founded in 1903, has more than 22,000 members and is the nation’s fourth largest state CPA society.