Cailyn MacLellan ’26 Turns Cryptocurrency Internship into Research Role
Major/Degree: B.S. in Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics
Mentors: Adrienne FitzGerald, Student Support Manager, Honors Program; Leon B. Abbas, Lecturer, Department of Public Management
Programs: Honors Program; Women’s Soccer Team
Internships: University of Maryland College Park, Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS), Student Researcher; Propel Capital, Program Assistant; Propel NYC Fellow; UC Berkeley School of Law, Venture Capital Executive Program
Award: Gordon A. Rich Scholar, Merit Scholarship of $60K
Hometown: Charleston, WV
Career Aspiration: Industry Analyst
Post-graduation Plans: Research Assistant with ARLIS
What was life like before John Jay?
My twin sister and I are the first in our family to go to and graduate college. Growing up, going to college was always my goal, even though it felt out of reach because I went to school in a poorly funded district. Feeling like an underdog lit a fire in me. My parents were also extremely supportive of my sister and me wanting to go to college and achieve social mobility.
I had my sights set on academic success, and I did everything I could to achieve my goals. While in high school, I had the opportunity to explore what college would be like through an early college program at West Virginia State University (WVSU), an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). The program was a liaison program with the Board of Education in my county that allowed high school students to take college courses and get an early start on their college careers. I loved the experience and came out of it motivated and excited for my future. After graduating from high school as valedictorian, I couldn’t wait to start college.
Why John Jay?
During my time in the early college program at WVSU, I became interested in forensic accounting. When it came time to apply to colleges, John Jay stood out as one of the few institutions that had an undergraduate program in fraud examination and financial forensics. The more research I did on the College’s offerings, its location, and its social mobility rating, the deeper I fell in love with John Jay.
Then I won a $60K scholarship from the Gordon A. Rich Memorial Foundation, which is based in New York. It felt like the universe was telling me I needed to go to John Jay because the scholarship would help me pay my tuition.
How did you become interested in financial forensics?
I read a report about WVSU and other HBCUs being underfunded by billions of dollars, which forced these schools to cut back on programs and student services. Learning that made me start thinking about who makes these large-scale financial decisions and why. I started reading up on HBCU institutions, their funding in years past, how the funds, or lack thereof, impacted the student experience, student success outcomes, the research conducted at these institutions, and the school’s standing. From a justice perspective, I also thought, "How can these disparities persist for so long? Why are these resources not being allocated in a way that is beneficial to the demographic they’re meant to serve?" Those questions and the search for their answers sparked my curiosity about financial forensics and shaped my academic path.
How did your mentors impact your educational journey?
Adrienne FitzGerald was a major source of support throughout my time at John Jay. She was always someone I could go to with questions. She provided guidance, helping me with applications and staying on top of internship and learning opportunities. It was actually Ms. FitzGerald who helped me land spots at ARLIS and Propel.
Professor Abbas was a wealth of knowledge for me and really helped me with my professional goals. Aside from teaching at John Jay, he is a certified fraud examiner and a government auditor. Whenever I needed help with research or a project, I could always go to him to brainstorm ideas. If I was confused about something, he offered advice and helped me figure out what I wanted to achieve and the steps I needed to take to get there.
What was it like interning for ARLIS and Propel Capital?
The two opportunities reinforced my desire to work in analytics. At ARLIS, I was in charge of developing a framework to analyze money laundering schemes that were specifically using cryptocurrency. That involved identifying risks posed by actors and emerging technologies that could be used to disrupt that behavior.
At Propel, I worked in operations and investment, so I was involved in due diligence and market research. During my internship, my role was to vet the companies that approached Propel for funding. I would research their numbers, the competition, and market risks to see whether these companies were worth adding to the Propel portfolio.
Both internships helped me gain more knowledge on the overlap between data and the finance world, how financial information flows, and how analytics are integral to the decision-making process. They also deepened my interest in risk detection, compliance, and regulatory work.
How did you land your new full-time role at ARLIS?
After I finished my internship at ARLIS, they told me about a potential new project they wanted me to join. While I can’t share many details, I can say that I’m working on the more research-oriented part of the project. It’s exciting because I’ll get to use my background in fraud examination to examine emerging technologies and flag potential challenges ahead. I’m looking forward to seeing what we learn during the project.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years, I see myself working in financial forensics and data analytics. I’ll also be continuing my professional education, working toward a certification in fraud examination, and enrolling in a forensic accounting and fraud examination master’s degree program, possibly abroad.
