Photo courtesy of The Daily Record
Avonette Blanding ‘96 is fluent in the language of money. The former accounting major is the chief financial officer at the Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and also a volunteer who imparts lessons on financial literacy to youth in Baltimore City Public Schools.
Her accomplishments have landed her on the list as one of The Daily Record’s 2014 Leading Women, honoring Maryland’s female leaders under 40 for their career-related accomplishments and community service.
“[The award] is looking at people who are trying to make a difference and who are becoming leaders in Maryland,” Blanding says.
Her volunteer work with Banking on Our Future–Operation HOPE puts her in the classroom, teaching financial principles to students in grades four through 12. Since 2003, the Banking on Our Future program has, according to its website, been “committed to ensuring that every child in Baltimore becomes empowered with the tools to take control of their financial futures.”
Blanding also sits on the advisory council for Baltimore City Public Schools’ Career and Technology Education Pathways, a rigorous academic curriculum that gives high school students industry certification or college credit.
Her motivation to help comes from her own upbringing in Baltimore.
“I wanted to give back, and try to do something to improve the community,” Blanding explains.
She also hopes to inspire young people to follow in her fiscal footsteps.
“I want other women in Baltimore City, especially students, to see that they too can become Certified Public Accountants (CPA),” Blanding says. “I go around to high schools and try and encourage students to obtain their CPA license.”
In addition to working with students, Blanding’s advisory role with Career and Technology Education Pathways allows her to shape the future of technology programs in Baltimore City.
“We…determine whether the new programs benefit Baltimore City Public School students to make them more competitive in industry,” she says.
Blanding intends to expand her volunteer efforts to work hands-on with inner-city youth. Her long-term goal is to begin a foundation to provide scholarships for accounting students in Baltimore City. She also plans to publish a children’s book about being a CPA.
