A Farmer School graduate is one of just 40 people in the United States to earn the Elijah Watt Sells award for his performance on the CPA Exam last year. More than 86,000 individuals sat for the CPA Exam in 2023.

Dylan Boone, currently working on the tax staff at Plante Moran in Cincinnati, earned his bachelor's degree and master's degree in accountancy in 2023.

The American Institute of CPAs' award is granted to CPA candidates who obtain a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination, pass all four sections on their first attempt and completed testing in 2023. 

“The CPA Exam is a rigorous test, and these individuals performed extraordinarily well,” said Mike Decker, AICPA vice president – CPA Examination and pipeline, in a news release. “They deserve the heartiest of congratulations for their achievement, and we at the AICPA look forward to supporting these accountants as they continue on to a bright future in the profession.”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to
recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Exam, as well as to honor Sells, one of the country’s first CPAs. A founding member of the firm now known as Deloitte, Sells was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a significant role in advancing education within the profession.

Boone is the sixth Farmer School of Business graduate to earn the award since 2018, and the only person in Ohio to earn it in 2023.