Accounting for the future

Junior Nicholas May is thriving in Wright State’s accountancy program and as a student leader in the Raj Soin College of Business. (Photo by Erin Pence)

You could say that Nicholas May gives a good account of himself. He’s not an athlete, but he helps athletes do better. He’s not an administrator, but he helps his classmates navigate academia. And he does this – and more – while furthering his family legacy.

May is an accountancy major in Wright State University’s Raj Soin College of Business. He is following his father, Norman May, who has two degrees from Wright State: an associate degree in business and administration from the Lake Campus and a bachelor’s degree in business in accountancy and finance from the Dayton Campus. Other family member earned accounting degrees from Wright State as well.

“I took an accounting class in high school. I did well and enjoyed it,” said May, who is a native of Troy.

During his college search, he found Wright State was the best fit.

This fall he starts his second semester of his junior year thanks to College Credit Plus courses he took in high school. He has spent only one year on Wright State’s campus, but it has been a year of activities and honors.

May is treasurer of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board for the Raj Soin College of Business, which affords him and other students networking opportunities with local professionals and their insight into accounting. The board’s biweekly meetings include a mix of recent and earlier graduates and give students the chance to interact with Donald Hopkins, the college’s interim dean.

May is a Dean’s Scholar and the college’s 2024 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Scholar.

“I was pretty excited when I found out about that in the spring,” May said. “It’ll help me graduate debt-free and help me prepare for my future.”

He is in the John Talbott Accounting Leadership Program, in which he works with a mentor from outside the university to learn about careers in accountancy. And he is a member of Beta Alpha Psi, an honors organization for financial information students and professionals, through which May said those in the field address the students about potential internships.

May also does his part to help those like him. He staffs the front desk in the college’s Dean’s Office, answering questions and booking appointments with advisors.

May’s high level of involvement is noticed by Hopkins, who said for May to be selected to the Dean’s Advisory Board as a first-year student last year was an accomplishment in itself.

“Nicholas’s contributions of time have been extraordinary with his role as a student worker in the Dean’s Office, his participation at orientation sessions and Raider Open House, and as a coach for this year’s Professional Business Institute summer camp while maintaining an outstanding academic record,” Hopkins said.

May’s activity extends beyond accounting and the classroom. He is a student manager for the Wright State baseball team. He edits videos of pitchers and hitters, loads baseballs into pitching machines and does a little scouting of upcoming opponents.

“I watched Wright State baseball growing up,” he said. “I lived only 30 minutes away. It’s good baseball, and I’m a fan.”

May, who played basketball and baseball in high school, also officiates middle school basketball and youth basketball games. Noting the shortage of qualified sports officials, May said he enjoys officiating.

May is weighing whether to take on a second major, finance. In other plans, he would like to become a certified public accountant and work at a CPA firm or as a treasurer for a school district.

He has one particular school district in mind — the one in which he grew up.

“If I could work for Troy schools, that’d be pretty cool,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed the town.”