‘Outstanding Accomplishment’
Matt DiCesare ’16 Honored by Financial Executives International
Matt DiCesare ’16
While soccer was a leading factor in bringing Matt DiCesare ’16 to Ohio Wesleyan, he’s proven himself off the field, too.
The Central Ohio chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) recently recognized DiCesare’s academic ability, awarding him a $1,000 scholarship for excellence in finance, economics, and/or accounting by an area college senior and junior.
“It felt great to be recognized for the award,” DiCesare says. “There were students from other schools all over the state such as Ohio State University and Ohio University.”
DiCesare was honored April 15 at FEI’s annual Education Night, which recognized the top junior and senior accounting and/or finance students at Central Ohio universities. OWU students Sarah Stachowiak ’15 and Vinay Raj ’16 also were considered for the award.
Additional schools that sent representatives included Wittenberg, Ohio Dominican, Capital, Mount Vernon Nazarene, and Otterbein universities.
“I hope (this award) will open up a new network for me that I can look to for guidance as I move along in my professional development,” DiCesare says.
Advancing professional development is nothing new for DiCesare; he’s already completed work in OWU’s accounting office during the academic year and had two internships last summer.
The first was as a business development Intern at T. Marzetti Co., a specialty food company in Columbus; DiCesare is from Westerville so it was right in his backyard.
“My work was focused on due diligence for acquisitions targets for the firm,” he notes.
In the second half of the summer, DiCesare, a recipient of the Blaine E. Grimes Scholarship, moved to Chicago and worked at LaSalle Capital Group as an analyst intern.
There, he reported directly to two LaSalle vice presidents, providing information on financial modeling and analyzing extensive corporate research used to make decisions about investing and buying small companies.
The partners sent him an email saying that he was the best undergraduate intern they ever had and that his research was exactly what they were looking for.
OWU faculty member Justin Breidenbach, assistant professor of accounting, says FEI’s Education Night represented “a gathering of the best of the best in the area of accounting and finance from local academic institutions.”
FEI, made up of senior-level financial executives, seeks to define the accounting/finance profession, exchange ideas about best practices, educate members and others, and work with the government to improve the general economy.
“This is an outstanding accomplishment for Matt and OWU’s finance economics program as this selection was based on external and independent review,” Breidenbach says of DiCesare’s award.
Congratulations, Matt, on scoring this academic goal!