Quaboag Regional Middle/High School business education teacher Jean DiRico.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
WILBRAHAM — Wilbraham resident Jean DiRico is being recognized as Educator of the Year by the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants for her work as the business education teacher at Quaboag Regional Middle/High School in Warren.
MassCPA is a 501c6 organization with over 11,500 members in public accounting, industry and business, government and education.
The website states, “the society provides services that allow its members to learn, connect and prosper in the accounting profession.”
“[DiRico] has always been an incredible advocate for her students, making sure they take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way,” a MassCPA representative said in a press release. “Her dedication, enthusiasm and genuine love for teaching make her truly deserving of this honor.”
The award is to recognize “outstanding contributions to accounting education and the promotion of financial literacy in the community,” according to the press release.
“I am truly honored to receive this recognition from MassCPA,” DiRico said. “Teaching is my passion, and inspiring students to succeed both academically and in life is the greatest reward.”
DiRico teaches personal finance and accounting electives at Quaboag. She said a lot of students really want to take the classes, and are eager and motivated to learn accounting.
“It’s a great precursor to accounting in college and prepares them for the college coursework, or it prepares them for, if they want to start their own business, they have some background in accounting,” DiRico said. “A lot of them want to go right to the workforce or in construction. I have a couple kids in construction and they want to learn the basics, the bookkeeping, accounts receivable, that sort of thing. I have students that just want to go right to business or a finance degree and they want to take this because they’re interested in business or finance, so it’s a great pathway.”
She said that she tries to exemplify “educator of the year” by being a positive person and role model, taking the time to build a relationship with her students and taking advantage of the programs MassCPA offers, such as an annual conference at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where students can have one-on-one conversations with local CPAs.
DiRico also involves her students in a talent acquisition program with Wolf & Company, an accounting firm in Springfield that provides scholarships and allows students to meet with people who just graduated college and obtained their own CPAs.
She said educators can shape the lives of young children and make a positive impact on society. She added that one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is when students come back “years down the road and thank me for the life skills I’ve taught them.”
“I’d like to set that example where the students see that I’m trying to get them to be successful,” DiRico said. “I want them to be successful beyond the classroom, when they start working full time or going to college. I want them to be ready for adult life, so that’s what we’re setting them up for in school.”
DiRico will be formally recognized at a MassCPA networking event in May, held at Newton’s Braeburn Country Club.
