During the summer of 2009, there were some star students that showed up and showed out.  One student was a bit quiet, yet his potential was loud and unyielding. Mahesh Toppae was a tall, slender young man whose future was bright and full of potential. He was a student at Plano East Senior High School where he was awarded the opportunity to participate in Dallas ACAP, a summer program for high school students interested in going to college and majoring in accounting or other business-related disciplines.

Mahesh’s Home Group Counselor was the late Ian Jones.  His Project Group Counselor was the smiling and quick witted William (Billy) Threets, who participated with Dallas ACAP for 10 years. During his week at ACAP, Mahesh managed to walk away as the Winner of Dallas ACAP’s Financial Game Scholarship Award (awarded to high school seniors) and was the winner of Dallas ACAP’s Best Male Student Scholarship Award.

After Dallas ACAP, Mahesh went on to Texas A&M University where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Master's Degree in Management Information Systems. He passed all four parts of the CPA Examination. While in college, Mahesh interned at Weaver, LLP in their advisory practice. Although he worked hard to finish his degrees within four (4) years, one would still find Mahesh on the tennis courts teaching basic skills, or tutoring others in the areas of Business Calculus I & II, Business Statistics, Computer Applications, Finance, Accounting, and MIS.

So where is Mahesh now? Currently, he is working at Weaver, LLP, which is the largest independent public accounting firm in the Southwest Region.  Weaver offers assurance, advisory, and tax services.

Mahesh is an Associate Auditor in the Financial Institutions Consulting Services.  As an auditor, Mahesh mostly specializes in auditing banks, insurance companies, and trust companies, and engages in SOX and FDICIA audits.  Mahesh has also passed one part of the CIA Examination and is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

Mahesh’s advice to current Dallas ACAP students is: “Accounting is a great route if you have an interest in the corporate world. It will equip you with the basic fundamentals and skills to be successful in the future. Majoring in accounting was one of the best decisions I made, since it opened a plethora of career opportunities. One advice I would give to recent high school graduates or young college students is to start planning your future objectives such as career paths of your interest, and what classes you can take to better hone your skills to achieve your professional goals.”

If you would like to continue to follow Mahesh Toppae, CPA, he can be found on Facebook. If you’re interested in reaching out to him, please contact Mr. Odell Brown.

Join us next month for another overview of a former Dallas ACAP Student and ”Where Are They Now”?  For further information on Dallas ACAP, go to www.dallasacap.com.  For more information on the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA), see www.nabadfw.org.