Angelica Stringer Gets to the Bottom of Forensic Accounting

Angelica Stringer, Verrazano Class of 2018, completed majors in Accounting and Business Management, with a minor in Finance.

Angelica was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta

Forensic accounting is extremely interesting since there are so many different ways one could go within this one particular type of accounting. As I started researching I found out how similar forensic accounting could be with a financial audit and realized why so many people tend to confuse the two different careers. Once I realized how easy it seemed for people to make this mistake I decided to research more in depth of the differences as well as the similarities between to two in order to clear up the confusion for myself and for others as well. Through my research I learned that there are truly so many distinct differences that clear up this confusion such as the fact that forensic accountants in some cases actually go to court and testify on the witness stand, they could be sent out under cover to observe and take in evidence, and their main focus is to detect fraud and stop it, whereas financial audits are not involved in anything like this at all. 

Angelica making the Dean's List

To me the most interesting part to learn about was the criminal aspect and the risk factors of the job. I learned that there were so many dangerous instances that a forensic accountant could be put through just for simply doing their job. As a person thinking about pursuing this career it was definitely eye opening and made me second guess if that is really something that I would want to put myself through, but if it weren't for this research then I may have never realized how dangerous this particular career could become. In addition, I have gained a lot of knowledge about all of the different options that are available to choose from within the forensic accounting field that are not as dangerous, and it also opened my eyes to what a financial audit does on a daily basis. Before starting this project, I worried I would not be able to find a topic that would interest me that had to do with my major, but once I figured it out everything went smoothly and I am happy with the results. My goal is to hopefully clear up the confusion for anyone reading this paper and for them to understand the true aspects of what goes into these professionals everyday lives while on the job. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to expand my horizons and complete this research through the help of this honors program. Being a part of Verrazano has made my college experience so much better with all of the opportunities given, the helpful advisors, as well as the yummy pizza parties. By completing this capstone I pushed myself to the best of my abilities and overcame many obstacles along the way.