Lauren White wants to hold people accountable. Literally.
She's pursuing a career as a forensic accountant, analyzing financial information to identify evidence of possible misconduct.
White said learning the ropes from faculty with real-world investigatory experience showed her the professional possibilities to fuse her passion for numbers and for justice.
"I didn't have that stereotypical accountant personality," said White, but her professors at The Busch School of Business encouraged her forward by showing her that "there's no typical personality in accounting... you can be whoever you want to be and also like what you are doing."
This past May, White graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in accounting and a certificate in intelligence studies. After thriving at an earlier audit internship at Deloitte, she returned to work post-commencement with an alum who as served as an important mentor for her.
She said the Busch School was there for her every step of her professional journey, helping her with her resume, interview skills, and navigating her first internship.
"So when I walked on that first day (of the internship), I felt extremely prepared. I was nervous, but I knew I was going to make a good impression," said White.
The most important thing she learned through her undergraduate experience was how to incorporate her faith into her studies and career.
"I chose to attend Catholic University because I wanted to go to a school where we talked about faith openly, especially in the context of business," said White, adding she's especially grateful for the different masses and other religious services on campus.
She said the Washington, D.C. location is also a huge advantage, noting getting to tour the FBI headquarters with the criminal justice club as an opportunity she thinks she wouldn't have had otherwise.
"It's one of those classic D.C. experiences," said White. "It was really nice to be able to tour and know the different routes I can go."
