The CAS Annual Meeting Through the Eyes of Trust Scholarship Recipients

One of the perks of being a CAS Trust Scholarship winner is getting to attend the CAS Annual Meeting, most recently held this November in Orlando, Florida. While the meeting is designed for property and casualty actuaries to learn about latest happenings in the actuarial field, earn continuing education credits, and network with peers and colleagues, what is it like to attend the meeting as an actuarial college student? Well we asked this year’s CAS Trust Scholarship recipients, $10,000 award winner, Chase Yetter of Lebanon Valley College, and $5,000 award winners, Chloe Marshinski of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Sarah Rumon of University of St. Thomas, to share insights from their experience.

Favorite Sessions or Presentations 

Chase Yetter:

“THE UNDERWRITING CYCLE — IS IT ECONOMICS OR BEHAVIOR OR BOTH?” was my favorite session. We were able to hear from insurance executives on their thoughts regarding the predictability of the underwriting cycle, or lack thereof. I find this to be a really interesting topic and I always appreciate the opportunity to hear from industry leaders.

Chloe Marshinski:

I really enjoyed the keynote speaker, Simon Bailey. He was funny and engaging and it was interesting to hear about someone’s experiences in a field very different from actuarial. I also attended the break-out session on the new Predictive Analytics credential, which was very helpful for me as that is something I may consider pursuing in the future.

Sarah Rumon:

One of my favorite sessions was the general session that addressed the underwriting cycle and debated whether it is an economic phenomenon or simply a behavioral cycle. For those who are only beginning their actuarial careers, I have found that there is not always much emphasis on how business functions (such as underwriting) impact actuarial functions and vice versa, so this was a refreshing perspective. I also enjoyed the keynote speaker Simon T. Bailey, who spoke about leadership and influencing team members to achieve goals that ultimately benefit the entire organization.

Networking with CAS Members

Chase:

I really enjoyed meeting members of the CAS and learning about their careers as well as the opportunities that are available to actuaries. They were very welcoming and provided great advice for students entering the field.

Chloe:

I really enjoyed meeting the CAS members during the meals and breaks. At breakfast and lunch, I sat with people from all different companies, and it was interesting to hear about all their experiences with the exam process and working as full time actuaries.

Sarah:

At the CAS meeting, there was such a wide variety of members—from actuaries that had just completed their ACAS, to chief actuaries who have been in the profession for years. It was incredibly motivating and encouraging to meet and network with so many actuaries who have each had unique career paths and experiences. There is something to learn from everyone!

Best Thing about the Annual Meeting

Chase:

Attending CAS meetings has shown me, through the wide variety of continuing education offered, that the CAS is ready to adapt to changes in the P&C profession. I’m excited to follow the development of new educational opportunities from iCAS.

Chloe:

The best parts of the meeting for me were the networking events. During both breakfast and lunch, I was able to reconnect with some of my coworkers at CNA as well as meet new people from other companies. I also enjoyed meeting and talking to the other two scholarship winners, Chase and Sarah…I am very excited to become a part of this community in the upcoming years and meet more people within the CAS.

Sarah:

By far, the highlight of the CAS Annual Meeting was the general excitement about the profession. All members were genuinely interested to learn from each other in a variety of sessions, and the ability to network with hundreds of actuaries was an amazing opportunity! Overall, I came away from the meeting more interested and excited to start a career in actuarial science.

The deadline for the 2017-2018 CAS Trust Scholarship is March 1, 2017. Additional information is available at casact.org/trustscholarship. Winners will be invited to attend the CAS Annual Meeting in Austin, TX in November 2017