Casualty Actuarial Society Announces 2021 CAS Trust Scholarship Recipients
The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is pleased to announce that eight university students have been selected as recipients of the 2021 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 scholarship program is funded by donations to the CAS Trust. This year’s awardees are Reiner Atstathi, Olivier Cote, Josh Gordon, Sankar Krishna, Claire Liu, Simon Llaguno, Molly Olander, Ana Romo and Maurice Williams.
$5,000 Recipients
Josh Gordon is a rising Junior at the University of Michigan where he is studying Actuarial Science and Statistics. He is working this summer as an Actuarial Intern on the Commercial Auto Pricing team at Liberty Mutual. He is also a Teaching Assistant for the intro Finance course at Michigan. “I am incredibly grateful to be recognized and awarded with the CAS Trust Scholarship. Thank you to my family, mentors, and all others who have shown continued support and guidance as I navigate the early stages of my actuarial career. As I work toward an FCAS designation, I plan to continue learning from peers and mentors in addition to becoming a mentor to other actuarial students.”
Claire Liu is the Actuarial Club President and a rising Senior at University of Wisconsin – Madison majoring in Actuarial Science, Risk Management & Insurance, and Statistics. In the summer of 2020, she was an Actuarial Analyst Intern working on the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drugs bid team at Optum/UnitedHealth Group. Liu will be interning at Travelers as an Actuarial Leadership Development Program intern working on small commercial business insurance. “A big Thank You to the CAS Trust Scholarship Committee for allowing me the honor of receiving this scholarship! This scholarship will help me finish my college career strong, and I am grateful that the CAS is able to provide this support to students.”
Molly Olander will be a senior in the fall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, studying actuarial science with minors in mathematics and music. During summer 2020, she worked as an actuarial intern at Mutual of Omaha on the Financial Plan and Analysis team and is currently a 2021 intern in the Actuarial Leadership Development Program at Travelers on the Business Insurance Actuarial Product team. "Being awarded the CAS Trust Scholarship is an immense honor, and I am humbled to be recognized by the selection committee and am ever grateful for those that have supported and believed in me. I am dedicated to learning, working, and serving, and through the generosity of this award, I am continuing to push to better myself each day on the path towards my future career as an actuary."
Ana “Cati” Romo is a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania where she is studying Actuarial Science and Business Analytics. This summer, Cati is interning at Willis Towers Watson in their Retirement Consulting Department. Cati serves as co-president of the Penn Actuarial Society and is also involved as a tour guide for the school. “I am so honored to be a recipient of the 2021 CAS Trust Scholarship. I hope to continue to further my actuarial career and serve as a role model for young Hispanic women interested in actuarial science.”
$2,500 Recipients
Reiner Atstathi is a rising senior at St. John’s University, where he is studying actuarial science. Reiner has completed two internships with BDO USA as a P&C actuarial intern in their advisory practice and is currently completing a summer internship with Deloitte as a consulting actuarial intern. In May, he passed Exam MAS-I and is looking to take Exam MAS-II next year as he returns to BDO for his third internship with the firm. Receiving the CAS Trust Scholarship has been one of the greatest honors of his educational career and the financial and professional support he has gained as a result has been immense.
Olivier Côté has just completed a bachelor's degree in actuarial science at Université Laval. He will deepen his knowledge with a master’s in actuarial science at the same school starting in the fall of 2021. He was able to experience three diversified and rewarding internships at Desjardins General Insurance Group. He was involved with his student club and is currently the coach of his former football team. “I am truly grateful for this award from the CAS. I want to thank my family, girlfriend, teachers, colleagues and all of my former football coaches who helped on my journey. I will continue to work hard and give back to my community, hoping that others can enjoy a course full of absorbing challenges, fulfilling encounters and developmental opportunities.”
Sankar Krishna is a first-year graduate student at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning pursuing a master’s in mathematics with a specialization in actuarial science. He spent the summer of 2020 interning at Tech Actuarial, focusing on Claims Analytics and Pricing Tools for Group Insurance Products. He participated in the CAS Independent Summer Program and Actuarial Data Science workshop at the University. He is a theatre and cricket enthusiast, and plays the trombone in the University’s Brass Band. “I am honored to receive this prestigious international award and grateful to the CAS for their generous contribution towards my professional qualification. This award motivates me to pursue actuarial data science with more zeal and make a positive difference to the profession and society. I thank God and express my deep gratitude to my family, friends, the faculty at SSSIHL, and alumni for their constant support.”
Simon Llaguno is a rising senior at Temple University where he is studying actuarial science with a minor in MIS. He spent this past year interning with Everest Insurance as an intern on the Actuarial Pricing and Catastrophe Modeling Teams. This summer, he will be working with Cigna as an Actuarial Executive Development Program Intern on the seniors reserving team. He is also a CAS ambassador and served as the Director of Public Relations for Gamma Iota Sigma, Temple’s actuarial science and risk management student organization. “I am grateful to have received this award from the CAS. Thank you to my family, friends, teachers, and mentors for all the support you’ve provided me. I am even more motivated to push myself and excel in my career.”
Maurice Williams is a rising senior at St. John’s University with a major in Actuarial Science and a minor in Data Science. He has been working at Ascot Group as an Actuarial Intern since January and will continue until year-end. Maurice recently passed his fourth actuarial science exam, MAS-I, and is currently studying for his fifth exam. “This award goes a long way in relieving much of my financial burden. I am truly honored to be given this great recognition by CAS; their generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community that has helped me to get this far in my Risk Management and Insurance journey.”
The CAS Trust Scholarship program is funded by donations to the CAS Trust, which affords members and others an income tax deduction for contributions of funds used for scholarships and research grants. The CAS Trust was qualified by the Internal Revenue Service in 1979 as a non-profit organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
CAS members are invited to contribute to the Trust; inquiries and contributions should be addressed to the CAS's Chief Financial Officer, Todd Rogers, at trogers@casact.org.
