Master of Accounting student rounds out KU experience as Self Memorial Scholar
Ava Lemon takes full advantage of opportunities presented by KU School of Business, Self Scholarship
After an undergraduate experience at the KU School of Business filled with leadership opportunities and career exploration, Ava Lemon knew she wanted to continue her education at KU and push her educational limits by joining KU’s Master of Accounting (MAcc) program.
Lemon says choosing KU was the best decision she has ever made.
“The School of Business just drew me in right away,” Lemon said. “The buzz of Capitol Federal Hall every day when you walk in, it’s so busy, and there are just so many opportunities within the different majors, and they have people that are doing so many different things.”
Lemon graduated with bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance from the School of Business in spring 2024 but ultimately decided that accounting was her strong suit, leading her to the MAcc program.
“I think both of those majors provide huge challenges and lots of opportunities to problem-solve and great career opportunities as well,” Lemon said. “The last thing I’ve ever wanted is to be bored, and I have never been bored in accounting, which is why I chose it.”
When exploring graduate programs, KU was the obvious choice for Lemon because of the positive experience she had the last four years.
“The professors and faculty are incredible,” Lemon said. “They’re so knowledgeable, and they are some of the most supportive people I have ever had in my academic career. I’ve had so many professors during my time at KU who have been amazing, but never any who will go above and beyond like the accounting professors.”
When she began the MAcc program, her mindset and goals shifted slightly from her time as an undergraduate student, realizing her time at KU is coming to an end.
“This is my last year of really getting to dive into being a teaching assistant and taking care of my students,” Lemon said. “I think my goal honestly is to be present in what I’m doing and just recognize how lucky I am every day to be back for one more year of education.”
Lemon is completing her MAcc through the Self Memorial Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship offered to seniors at KU who will be transitioning into their first year of a master’s or doctoral degree program in the fall semester.
The scholarship, generously supported by Kansans Madison and Lila Self, not only provides $10,000 of tuition assistance, but it also gives recipients access to a $1,000 professional development award and participation in a Scholar Development Program to further connect them with potential careers.
Lemon learned about the scholarship through a simple KU website search and was immediately drawn to the student profiles where current scholars shared how much it has meant to them.
The application process includes a submission of the candidate’s resume along with a well-thought-out personal statement outlining career goals and aspirations.
“I remember talking to Alee Philips, Master of Accounting program director, before applying for the scholarship, and she said to be as specific as possible with the statement to be able to differentiate yourself,” Lemon said. “Writing that personal statement really helped me put a lot of things into perspective, and it’s a statement that I will use if I decide to do an MBA. So, it was helpful to just reflect.”
Lemon says the many activities she was involved in and her accomplishments during her undergraduate years helped her stand out as a candidate, both for the MAcc program and the Self Scholarship.
She was an active member of her sorority, Chi Omega, where she served as the alumni relations chair, treasurer and chapter president. These experiences with Chi Omega also helped inspire her to work as a United States Congressional intern in summer 2023.
Lemon has always been interested in public policy and constituent service and was able to gain valuable insights through working in Washington, D.C., while building on her involvement as a KU student.
“With being president and treasurer and seeing how an organization works, it made me realize how interested I was in policies and how they work within organizations,” Lemon said.
Along with these experiences, Lemon was a teaching assistant (T.A.) for BUS 110 Introduction to Professionalism and ACCT 201 Managerial Accounting. She formed her a community and learned valuable lessons about leading others in doing what she loves.
“I think the leadership skills I learned from Chi Omega paired with my ability now to speak very confidently in front of big groups of people and take complex information and teach it to encourage students to be the best they can be overall really helped me,” Lemon said. “Number 1: I was able to get achievements on my resume, but I was also able to form myself as a person and learn what I’m good at to craft that into a personal statement.”
Lemon is still learning the ropes to the MAcc program, but already sees the benefits of the program and dedication of the MAcc faculty.
“It’s a little bit harder than I thought it would be honestly, but in in a good way,” Lemon said. “It requires a deeper level of thinking than undergrad. Every day you walk in there and you know that: one, you need to know what you’re talking about, and two, you need to understand at a very deep level what is happening. You can tell [the MAcc professors] put a lot of work into these materials to help us learn better and they really challenge us in the best ways.”
Lemon studied abroad over winter break in the Business Practices in Latin America program. The trip, offered for MAcc students, opened her to different business perspectives.
“With my passion for public policy comes a passion for environmental awareness, so I was excited to learn about what a business environment looks like where they’re very aware of the climate every day,” Lemon said. “I loved learning about biodiversity and getting a different perspective than what we see every day.”
After graduation, Lemon will head to New York City to work as a Financial Services Organization (FSO) assurance staff member at EY. She felt an instant connection to the company while attending EY’s Women in Audit conference in New York City and looks forward to where the opportunity will take her career.
“Being able to go to a city like New York, there’s accounting, there’s finance, there’s marketing, there’s public policy, there’s arts; there’s just so much culture and so many opportunities to go so many ways, and that’s why I want to be there,” Lemon said.
Lemon’s next steps involve becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and helping companies make informed financial decisions at EY. Beyond her professional aspirations, she has a deeply personal goal: advocating for her younger sister, Maggie, who has Down syndrome. Maggie has profoundly shaped Lemon’s outlook on life, and in the future, Lemon hopes to combine the lessons from her time at KU with her experiences in Washington, D.C., to create meaningful ways to give back to her sister and support the Down syndrome community.
“Maggie is the kindest and most determined person I know; she approaches every day with a pure joy that is contagious,” Lemon said. “I make a conscious effort to model her behaviors in both my professional and personal life, teaching me to be persistent in accomplishing my goals and to enjoy every step of the way. I accredit many of my accomplishments to following Maggie’s example of determination paired with unwavering kindness.”
Learn more about KU’s Master of Accounting and apply at business.ku.edu/MAcc. Applications close March 1, 2025.
The 2025 Madison and Lila Self Memorial Scholarship application closes March 3, 2025.
By Lauryn Zebrowski
