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 Seton Hill, 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 Seton Hill, 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 

“Seton Hill pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he says. 

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