Editor's note: We've decided to open up the discussion at the Risk at RIMS 2008 blog by inviting risk and insurance students into the mix. Not only for their much-needed youthful vigor and enthusiasm. But the industry, desperate for the next generation of talent, needs to know what these students' are thinking if they hope to recruit, train and promote them.
Below is the first post from Chelsea Balerno of Temple University. She'll be posting daily from RIMS. About her expectations for the conference and her future profession. About her experiences. And about all of you whom she meets in San Diego. You'll be able to recognize future posts from Chelsea by the headline and topic category, "The RIMS Apprentice." Now here's Chelsea ...
Hello, everyone!
My name is Chelsea Balerno, and I am new to the Risk at Rims 2008 Blog. I am a junior Actuarial Science major at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. At Temple, I am the vice president of membership development for the Sigma chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma. For those of you out there who haven't heard of GIS, Gamma Iota Sigma is the International Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science Collegiate Fraternity. My position as the VP is basically to help our members transition from students to young professionals. We plan resume reviews, mock interviews, enrichment workshops, social events, etc.
As for work experience, I have had a few jobs and internships over the years. All through high school, I worked at Sentry Insurance, filing, answering the phones and completing other administrative tasks. This past summer, I interned at SMART Business Consulting in Devon, Pa. I worked as a P/C actuarial consulting intern, using Excel, Access, Visual Basic, etc. to complete many tasks such as completing loss triangles, projecting losses and IBNR, creating loss reserve templates, completing research and working on other various tasks.
This summer, I have accepted an internship at Towers Perrin in Philadelphia, Pa., in their retirement practices division. I am very excited, as I love the consulting world and having the opportunity for client interaction.
Enough about me ... let's get back to RIMS! This will be my first trip to RIMS, and I am beyond excited!
I am looking forward to all of the opportunities at RIMS! I hear that over 10,000 people will be there. I can't wait to meet people from all different walks of life and all different sectors of the industry. I will be looking for another internship next summer, and I am dying to relocate somewhere for the summer, maybe the West Coast, or even abroad (I have been to both London and Germany and LOVE both countries). Maybe I will get lucky and meet someone at RIMS who is in need of an intern for Summer 2009? We shall see!
I am most looking forward to the networking experiences. I love meeting new people, and RIMS is full of great opportunities. I am also looking forward to spreading the word about Temple's Risk Management, Insurance, Healthcare Management and Actuarial Science programs (we have one of the largest and highest ranked programs in the country!).
We have so many opportunities for industry to get involved with our students, and I hope to help create some new, strong, long-lasting relationships between companies and Temple University. I also hope to give people in the industry some perspective on the life of a student ... yes, there are some of us out there who actually go to college FOR risk management and insurance by choice! Hopefully, they will be pleasantly surprised by how knowledgeable we are about the industry, and how eager we students are for opportunities.
Well, I should get back to doing my homework! But before I go, in case you want to find me and other Temple students in San Diego, here's my tentative schedule:
My flight gets in to San Diego at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, and I will be attending the Student Welcome Reception at 5 p.m. that night. On Sunday, I am going to a Padres game with some friends! At night, I will be going to the AIG Dessert Reception. On Monday, I will be attending the General Session and Keynote Address at 10:00 a.m. and the Awards Luncheon at 12:15 p.m. On Tuesday, myself and other Temple students will be having breakfast with Ed Troy, Andrew Miller and some other colleagues from GAB Robins. Then we will attend the luncheon and the education roundtable, and finally visit the Exhibit Hall Reception. On Wednesday, my flight for Philadelphia departs at 8:30 a.m. :-(
I will update again once I finalize my schedule. I can't believe how soon RIMS is. Hopefully, I will meet some of you readers there!
Sincerely,
Chelsea Balerno
Below is the first post from Chelsea Balerno of Temple University. She'll be posting daily from RIMS. About her expectations for the conference and her future profession. About her experiences. And about all of you whom she meets in San Diego. You'll be able to recognize future posts from Chelsea by the headline and topic category, "The RIMS Apprentice." Now here's Chelsea ...
Hello, everyone!
My name is Chelsea Balerno, and I am new to the Risk at Rims 2008 Blog. I am a junior Actuarial Science major at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. At Temple, I am the vice president of membership development for the Sigma chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma. For those of you out there who haven't heard of GIS, Gamma Iota Sigma is the International Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Science Collegiate Fraternity. My position as the VP is basically to help our members transition from students to young professionals. We plan resume reviews, mock interviews, enrichment workshops, social events, etc.
As for work experience, I have had a few jobs and internships over the years. All through high school, I worked at Sentry Insurance, filing, answering the phones and completing other administrative tasks. This past summer, I interned at SMART Business Consulting in Devon, Pa. I worked as a P/C actuarial consulting intern, using Excel, Access, Visual Basic, etc. to complete many tasks such as completing loss triangles, projecting losses and IBNR, creating loss reserve templates, completing research and working on other various tasks.
This summer, I have accepted an internship at Towers Perrin in Philadelphia, Pa., in their retirement practices division. I am very excited, as I love the consulting world and having the opportunity for client interaction.
Enough about me ... let's get back to RIMS! This will be my first trip to RIMS, and I am beyond excited!
I am looking forward to all of the opportunities at RIMS! I hear that over 10,000 people will be there. I can't wait to meet people from all different walks of life and all different sectors of the industry. I will be looking for another internship next summer, and I am dying to relocate somewhere for the summer, maybe the West Coast, or even abroad (I have been to both London and Germany and LOVE both countries). Maybe I will get lucky and meet someone at RIMS who is in need of an intern for Summer 2009? We shall see!
I am most looking forward to the networking experiences. I love meeting new people, and RIMS is full of great opportunities. I am also looking forward to spreading the word about Temple's Risk Management, Insurance, Healthcare Management and Actuarial Science programs (we have one of the largest and highest ranked programs in the country!).
We have so many opportunities for industry to get involved with our students, and I hope to help create some new, strong, long-lasting relationships between companies and Temple University. I also hope to give people in the industry some perspective on the life of a student ... yes, there are some of us out there who actually go to college FOR risk management and insurance by choice! Hopefully, they will be pleasantly surprised by how knowledgeable we are about the industry, and how eager we students are for opportunities.
Well, I should get back to doing my homework! But before I go, in case you want to find me and other Temple students in San Diego, here's my tentative schedule:
My flight gets in to San Diego at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, and I will be attending the Student Welcome Reception at 5 p.m. that night. On Sunday, I am going to a Padres game with some friends! At night, I will be going to the AIG Dessert Reception. On Monday, I will be attending the General Session and Keynote Address at 10:00 a.m. and the Awards Luncheon at 12:15 p.m. On Tuesday, myself and other Temple students will be having breakfast with Ed Troy, Andrew Miller and some other colleagues from GAB Robins. Then we will attend the luncheon and the education roundtable, and finally visit the Exhibit Hall Reception. On Wednesday, my flight for Philadelphia departs at 8:30 a.m. :-(
I will update again once I finalize my schedule. I can't believe how soon RIMS is. Hopefully, I will meet some of you readers there!
Sincerely,
Chelsea Balerno
