Kadeem Blanchard ’12 Loves His Work as a Political Accountant
When the opportunity arose for Kadeem Blanchard to move from Pittsburgh to Tampa, Fla. in 2015, he jumped at the chance.
“I love it; it’s 70-something degrees,” says Kadeem, who grew up in the Virgin Islands and hopes to return there someday. Tampa is “the closest thing I get to being back home while being on the continental mainland.”
Of course, the change of climate and scenery wasn’t the only thing that drew Kadeem to Tampa – an exciting career opportunity with a political accounting firm lured him there as well.
“My main duty is to manage the day-to-day accounting of Political Action Committees and candidates.”
Blanchard, who majored in accounting at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, works for Robert Watkins & Company, a leading political firm where he is one of the youngest accountants. He acts as a treasurer for Political Action Committees and Public Policy Committees, and the recent election season made him extremely busy.
“My main duty is to manage the day-to-day accounting of Political Action Committees and candidates,” Kadeem says. “We ensure that their account complies with state and federal election laws."
“It’s very exciting,” he says. “I meet a lot of different people ... I’m loving what I’m doing.”
Blanchard looks back on his years at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú, where he played soccer, and remembers how much he grew there. Just moving from his island home to Greensburg was a huge change. He learned about adapting to different situations and people
“ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he says.
ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s young alumni are making their mark on the world through their work in science and healthcare, finance and business, industry, entertainment and service to those in need. The Spring/Winter 2017 edition of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Forward magazine featured 30 of these alumni, all under the age of 30. You can find all of their stories here on ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s site (just look for the “30 Under 30” icon).
Find out more about ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Accounting Program here.