Month: July 2019

Honorees Include Students from Brigham Young University, Drake University, and University of St. Thomas

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is pleased to announce that three university students have been selected as recipients of the 2019 CAS Trust Scholarship, an honor created to further students’ interest in the property and casualty actuarial profession and encourage the pursuit of the CAS designations. The program annually awards up to three scholarships to actuarial students for the upcoming academic year, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. This year’s awardees are Tommy Anderson, a rising senior at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota; Jack Richards, a rising senior at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa; and Cason Wight, a rising senior at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Anderson, recipient of the program’s $10,000 scholarship, has gained industry experience at Travelers Insurance where he interned in 2017 and 2018. He returns to Travelers this summer as an intern in the Actuarial and Analytics Leadership Development Program focusing on small commercial analytics. Anderson participates in several campus activities including serving as Vice President of Alumni Relations for Gamma Iota Sigma and playing on the men’s varsity basketball team. “I’m honored to receive this prestigious award, and grateful for the tremendous generosity of the CAS. This organization provides aspiring actuaries like me with the support they need to grow into industry leaders and positive difference-makers. The award further inspires me in my pursuit of the FCAS designation, and I am excited for the opportunity to meet and learn from many great actuaries through my involvement with the CAS. I also want to thank God, my family and friends, the faculty at St. Thomas, and my coworkers for their continuous support in my journey,” said Anderson.

Richards, recipient of a $5,000 scholarship, has completed three internships and is spending this summer at Deloitte Consulting as a Summer Scholar with the Actuarial and Insurance Solutions practice. Previous employers have included Farm Bureau Financial Services, where he interned in fall 2017, and Travelers Insurance, where he interned in their actuarial program from 2017 to 2019. Richards is active at Drake University, having served as Co-President of the Gamma Iota Sigma Chapter in 2018, and Director of the Drake Symposium the last two years. “I am proud to be a recipient of the 2019 CAS Trust Scholarship Award. I’ve been amazed by the passion and volunteerism of the Casualty Actuarial Society, and I aspire to obtain my credentials and exemplify these values as a future actuary,” said Richards.

Wight, recipient of a $5,000 scholarship, spent last summer as a P&C actuarial intern at Oliver Wyman and is pursuing an internship at Cigna this summer. He is a leader within BYU’s Actuarial Club, serving on its executive committee. Additionally, Wight has participated in several actuarial research projects, and has shared those results at two student research competitions and during a session at the 2018 CAS Annual Meeting. The projects have also resulted in a written report published by the CAS and SOA and an academic paper to be published by an academic journal in fall 2019.  “I am honored and thrilled about the scholarship. I appreciate what the CAS does and how they are supporting me in my education. I hope to have a positive impact on the profession going forward,” said Wight.

Winners of the CAS Trust Scholarship were chosen by the CAS Trust Scholarship Subcommittee. Candidates must be enrolled as full-time students at a U.S. or Canadian college or university, demonstrate high scholastic achievement, and have taken at least one actuarial exam. A selection committee of CAS members assesses the candidates’ academic records, two letters of recommendation and an application essay.

The three winners will be recognized at the 2019 CAS Annual Meeting taking place November 10-13, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

About the Casualty Actuarial Society

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is a leading international organization for credentialing and professional education. CAS credentials demonstrate the expertise to identify, analyze and advise on the potential financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Professionals educated by the Casualty Actuarial Society empower business and government to make well-informed strategic, financial and operational decisions.