The IASA scholarship committee had no trouble attracting candidates this year, according to Sonia Cliffel, assistant vice president in the insurance business division for First American Equipment Finance and an IASA volunteer.
"Last year we didn't know who to call," she says. "We had a small list of universities that we knew had insurance programs. This year we added more names to the list. One of our committee members had a good list of schools so we were able to do a better job on our outreach program. It was much more successful."
The requirements for earning a scholarship include: the student must be at the sophomore level or greater and pursuing a degree in either information technology as it relates to insurance, actuarial science, accounting, or risk management.
"A high GPA and pursuing an insurance program are the important factors," says Cliffel.
Heading into this year, the IASA committed once again to three $2,000 scholarships and all of the documentation sent to the schools had that information.
"But we were really overwhelmed by the response we got from different schools," says Cliffel. "We had about 45 applications this year. The quality and qualifications of the applicants were just phenomenal."
At that point, IASA decided to offer more resources, so this year eight scholarships have been awarded. Three of them are for $2,000, one $1,000 winner, and four $500 winners.
"It was great [IASA] came back with another $3,000 and it was hard to figure out how we were going to divide it up," says Cliffel.
The winners are all involved in insurance programs at their schools and they also volunteer, according to Cliffel, which made it difficult to select the winners.
Winners of the $2,000 scholarships were Angelica Saenz, of St. Mary University; Courtney Luongo, of St. Joseph University; and Gracia Manopo of Cal State–Fullerton. Winner of the $1,000 scholarship was Timothy Cowan, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Winners of the $500 scholarships were Hugo Arzaluz, of the University of South Carolina; Kyle Guestin of Utica College; Saraya Hyder, of Temple University' and Ernest R. Leonard, of the University of St. Thomas.
Saenz is seeking a degree in risk management, corporate finance and international business. After graduating in December, she hopes to continue working in the area she is most passionate about: insurance. She also plans on pursuing her master's degree.
Manopo is seeking a degree in accounting and finance. She is an honors student and will be graduating in December 2011. Manopo's goal in completing a Career Leadership Certificate shows her self-motivation to acquire knowledge of leadership skills to help her be successful.
Luongo has a dual major in actuarial science and economics with a minor in mathematics. She is an upcoming senior and over the summer she will be interning at CIGNA Insurance as a part of their Actuarial Executive Development Program in Philadelphia.
Cowan also has a dual major in actuarial science and risk management, and insurance. He will be a junior in the fall, following an actuarial internship at Northwestern Mutual this summer. He has passed two actuarial exams and is the vice president of finance for UW's Risk Management and Insurance Society.
Arzaluz is another scholarship winner with a dual major in actuarial science and risk management, and economics. He also minors in French. He will be a senior at The University of South Carolina and is a part of Innovation in Insurance (i3) at USC. Arzaluz is a member of the Carolina Insurance and Risk Management Club and has been treasurer of two organizations.
Guestin is seeking a degree in Risk Management and Insurance. He is the current vice president of the Utica College Beta Delta chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma International Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science Collegiate Fraternity. He also is a goalie for Utica's hockey team.
Hyder is still another student with a dual major in risk management and insurance, and management information systems. She is a senior and will be graduating in January 2012. Currently, Hyder is an active member of Gamma Lota Sigma, which is the professional Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science Fraternity at Temple. She is also a member of the Association of Management Information Systems and Beta Gamma Sigma, which is the business honors fraternity. She will be starting a summer internship at Arthur J. Gallagher and has recently completed her yearlong internship in the Cyber Security department at Lockheed Martin.
Leonard is seeking a degree in actuarial science and economics. He is a junior and will be interning at Travelers this summer. He plans on following the CAS track of exams.
"I think the heart of the IASA mission is education," says Cliffel. "It is an opportunity for insurance professionals in the IT and accounting fields to share information and increase their knowledge in the industry, and network with business partners. Going along with the education focus is why we've chosen to support these young folks who will eventually enter the insurance industry."
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