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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 ��������Ƶ, 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 ��������Ƶ, 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 

“��������Ƶ pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he says. 

��������Ƶ’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 ��������Ƶ’s Forward magazine featured 30 of these alumni, all under the age of 30. You can find all of their stories here on ��������Ƶ’s site (just look for the “30 Under 30” icon).