Brashears Awarded Henry Bickerstaff Accounting Scholarship
Henry Bickerstaff (right) presents a $2,000 accounting scholarship award to Sarah Brashears, a Northwestern Oklahoma State University senior accounting major from Beaver, on behalf of the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants.ALVA, Okla. — Northwestern Oklahoma State University senior Sarah Brashears, an accounting major from Beaver, has been selected as the 2026-27 recipient of the Henry Bickerstaff Scholarship through the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants.
This $2,000 scholarship recognizes an outstanding accounting student each year who resides in or attends a university in northwestern Oklahoma.
“I am honored and grateful to be a recipient of the Henry Bickerstaff Scholarship,” Brashears said. “This support means a great deal to me as I complete my degree and prepare to begin my career.”
Brashears said that her time at Northwestern has given her many opportunities to grow personally and professionally. She was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority and participated in the faith-based club Chi Alpha. She also served as co-editor-in-chief of the Northwestern News.
“Through these experiences and other leadership roles on campus, I strengthened my communication skills, became a more confident leader, and formed meaningful connections within the NWOSU community,” she said.
Brashears, who will graduate in December, will begin working for Crawford & Associates in Oklahoma City.
“I am excited to put my accounting education and the skills I gained through my campus involvement into practice,” she said. “I am thankful for the professors, mentors, friends, and organizations that shaped my experience at Northwestern, and I look forward to carrying those lessons with me into the next chapter of my life.”
Dana Roark, Northwestern instructor of business, a member of the OSCPA and Brashear’s adviser, encouraged her to apply.
“Sarah is a dedicated student and is very deserving of the award,” Roark said.
Bickerstaff established this scholarship in 2020 to be awarded to a student who lives or attends school in northwest Oklahoma.
“I was honored to present this year’s scholarship to Sarah,” Bickerstaff said. “She is dedicated and has a bright future in our profession.”
Enid native Carlos Bustillos, a senior accounting major at Northwestern-Enid, was also awarded a general scholarship from the OSCPA this year.
The OSCPA Educational Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to promoting the accounting profession by supporting Oklahoma’s most promising accounting students. Through generous contributions from businesses, communities, and, most importantly, OSCPA members, the Foundation provides scholarships to help Oklahoma college students pursue their education and build the next generation of the state’s accounting workforce. For the 2026-2027 school year, the Foundation awarded $90,000 in scholarships to 51 students across the state.
For more information on the Johnson Family Division of Business at Northwestern, visit www.nwosu.edu/school-of-professional-studies/business.
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