Gamma Alpha, the BYU Marriott School of Business chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), is no ordinary club. Gamma Alpha, composed primarily of School of Accountancy (SOA) students, offers countless service and professional opportunities that encourage students to get involved. The club not only creates memories; it creates tomorrow’s leaders.
The Gamma Alpha Chapter was recently recognized internationally by the Beta Alpha Psi Board of Directors as a Superior Chapter and awarded $500. This recognition comes as a result of the chapter’s exceptional efforts to provide opportunities in the areas of leadership, academics, and professionalism.
“BAP provides club officers and members with opportunities to develop perspectives and skills that reinforce and enhance what they learn in the classroom,” said accounting professor Ron Worsham, faculty advisor for the chapter. “Involvement in BAP does more for students than merely provide another line on their résumés.”
In fact, BAP helps students become better leaders by providing a wide variety of service opportunities. The club’s nonprofit initiative, which takes place in the fall, encourages students to go out in groups of three to five to visit nonprofits and identify how they can help solve whatever problems the businesses are facing. In winter semester, students participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) lab, which is run by the BAP club. Volunteers help students and low-income families with their taxes.
Mason Busath, a former president of Gamma Alpha who graduated with his MAcc in 2021, witnessed firsthand how service helps change people and create better leaders. “The nonprofit initiative was one of my most impactful experiences with BAP,” he says. “As a student, you sit in the classroom and learn cool concepts, but then taking your knowledge and applying it feels like a completely different experience. One nonprofit I worked with, called Hope for Fertility, works with families who struggle to have children. At the time, the founders were working hard to help these families, but they were constrained by their limited understanding of business practices.”
“Since I’d taken accounting, marketing and global supply chain classes, I helped Hope for Fertility increase its financial efficiencies in a matter of months,” Busath continues. “The rubber meets the road when you can actually go out and make somebody's life better. The opportunity to serve made me love what I do even more. I want to continue obtaining more knowledge because knowing good business principles can truly make the world a better place.”
In addition to service, BAP also places an emphasis on professional development, frequently inviting professionals to come speak and interact with the students. The club brings in guest speakers from all different walks of life, including employees from PwC, the finance team for the Utah Jazz, former Disney executives, and local accounting firms. By involving these guest speakers, BAP aims to expose students to a variety of different career paths and provide them with networking opportunities to enter those career paths.
Busath hopes that he, along with other current BAP leaders and members, can inspire the incoming generations to carry on the BAP legacy of valuing service and professionalism. “Our past BAP leaders paved the way for our recognition as a Superior Chapter. As current members, we’re standing on the shoulders of giants, trying to move forward the momentum,” he says. “I hope to instill in the younger generation the same love and passion that I have for Beta Alpha Psi.”
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Writer: Sarah Calvert