Mar 2

Mar 2 Welcoming our New Interns: Grant Vargo-Willeford

Grant Vargo-Willeford was born and raised in a small Rhode Island town known as Wood River Junction. During high school, he tried to diversify his course load as much as possible, so as to broaden his horizons and pick a major for college. After settling on Astrophysics, he elected to enroll at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Among other things, the opportunity to experience a new culture and the promise of warm weather was a draw to heading down south. Following his first semester, Grant reevaluated his career goals and decided to switch into the Business School and change his major to Accounting. He plans to take advantage of Baylor’s five-year master’s program for accounting students, which will give him ample time to work towards an English minor as well.

Meeting up at a service event with other Baylor students in DC. Photo credit: Vargo-Willeford, 2020

Grant has come to Washington, DC, and AMIDEAST during his sophomore year through the Baylor in Washington Semester Program. This selective program for student leaders from Baylor is a great opportunity to further his knowledge of Accounting and Finance, all while building a network in a great city. The program consists of a full-time internship as well as the opportunity to write an extensive research paper that takes advantage of DC resources. He has chosen to research the question: What is the role of depression in Shakespeare’s work, and how has the impacted our understanding of the disease today? This was a great way to tie his English minor into the program, as well as take advantage of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Exploring DC is part of the semester program! Photo credit: Vargo-Willeford, 2020

Following his graduation, Grant plans to take the Certified Fraud Examiner exam and work towards a career in Forensic Accounting, or as he calls it “crime-fighting accounting.” His goal is to work in a federal role within one of the government agencies right out of college, with the opportunity to turn to the private sector later in his career. Despite these goals, he has not ruled out the possibility of attending Law School, with a special interest in Corporate Law.

Grant is excited to join AMIDEAST and contribute to the Education Abroad team this semester. The experience of learning non-profit finance will be invaluable to his education, as well as a great career experience. He is thrilled to live and work in DC, all while learning more about the study abroad process and building a network of professionals within the financial world.