“FSU has been instrumental in my professional growth, and I look forward to carrying the skills and insights I’ve gained into the next chapter of my life and career.”
Fast Facts
- Favorite Local Food Spot: The Sweet Shop Cafe & Lounge
- Favorite FSU Memory: 21st birthday Westcott Fountain toss
- Favorite Quote: “No matter what, I will love you always,” by Itachi Uchiha
- Musician: Used to play the saxophone
- Athlete: Played four sports in high school
CJ Morales is an accounting major at Florida State University who consistently raises the bar in community impact. He serves as chapter president for the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, where he oversees all operations and serves as the liaison between the chapter and its national organization.
After the passing of his grandmother in 2015, Morales and his family founded the nonprofit The Abuelos Foundation, which serves the senior community through projects such as house painting and grocery shopping. Through the foundation, Morales raised an estimated $125,000 worth of groceries for senior citizens and contributed an estimated 30,000 community service hours for student volunteers in Miami-Dade County over the past decade.
Looking toward the future, Morales intends to return to FSU to earn his Master of Accounting degree. Over the next 18 months, he will focus his efforts on preparing for and completing the CPA Exam.
Why did you choose Florida State University?
I was looking for a public university in Florida, and FSU gave me the opportunity to save money because I earned the Florida Academic Scholars Award through the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
In addition, I wanted to go to a university outside of my hometown of Miami. In my opinion, Tallahassee to Miami is the perfect distance where I am not too far from my family, but I am far enough to be independent and deal with adversities myself.
FSU has been instrumental in my professional growth, and I look forward to carrying the skills and insights I’ve gained into the next chapter of my life and career.
What academic achievements have you accomplished at FSU?
My most significant accomplishment at FSU has been using the university’s resources to secure and complete an internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) at its Miami office last summer. As a tax intern, I participated in a tax case study and completed a Pro Bono Client Project, while shadowing seasoned professionals across both the tax and audit departments.
I was able to land this internship through hard work as well as regular guidance from the Department of Accounting and the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. Finding internships can be hard, and I believe they make it easier for students to prepare for these internships through mandatory classes and guest speakers.
How do you serve the FSU community?
I was initiated into my fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, in the fall of 2024. As a newly initiated brother, I served as the fraternity’s philanthropy chair. I’ve created entertaining events that combine both community service and philanthropy. My favorite event was our collaboration with Kappa Kappa Gamma during the Halloween season. It was a five-minute tour around a self-made route filled with scare-actors and tour guides. We had 700 participants in three hours and raised $11,000 for multiple beneficiaries.
The Abuelos Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that my family and I started in 2016 after the passing of my grandmother in June of 2015. “Abuelos” means “grandparents” in Spanish, and the mission is to combat solitude within the elderly communities of Miami-Dade County and Leon County. Last year, we held multiple philanthropy and community service events to benefit the Abuelos Foundation in Tallahassee, in addition to continuing our monthly events in Miami. Having recently surpassed The Abuelos Foundation’s 10-year anniversary, I am incredibly proud to see the impact grow from its roots in Miami to supporting senior citizens across the state.
After graduation, I plan to return to PwC to build expertise in asset and wealth management or mergers and acquisitions. I also hope to continue to improve the Abuelos Foundation and expand our mission statewide or on a national scale.