The SOA Hosts its Inaugural University Outreach-Candidate Connect Event at CSU-Fullerton

By Marta Jimenez-Lutter and Jeffrey A. Jolley

Expanding Horizons, November 2024

The Society of Actuaries (SOA), in collaboration with California State University–Fullerton (CSUF), hosted the inaugural University Outreach—Candidate Connect event at the CSUF campus on April 12, 2024, to provide information and resources to high school, community college and CSUF students interested in the actuarial profession.

Event Highlights

The interactive event gathered more than 50 students for a day of learning, games and networking opportunities with five local actuaries, CSUF students and faculty, and SOA staff. The day began with a welcoming address from CSUF professor and actuarial director Jeffrey A. Jolley, FSA, and some of his students, who provided an overview of the university’s actuarial program and shared insights on the career pathways available to actuaries.

Engaging Sessions and Activities

The agenda was packed with informative sessions designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of the actuarial profession. The SOA volunteers and staff shared their insights and experiences about the job opportunities for actuaries with SOA credentials, the exam pathway and the future of the profession.  Interactive games and activities helped to illustrate complex actuarial concepts in an engaging and accessible way.

Panel Discussion and Networking

One of the highlights of the day was a Q&A panel discussion that provided students with the chance to engage in conversation with local actuaries, who included Alex Knights, FSA; Armand Wandji Tchakoumi, FSA; Jerry Chen, ASA; Catherine J. Bierschbach, FSA; and Michael L. Hammer, FSA. The panelists shared their career journeys, offered advice and answered questions from the students. This session provided a unique opportunity for attendees to engage directly with professionals in the field.

Student Feedback and Testimonials

The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. Many expressed appreciation for the opportunity to learn about the actuarial profession in such a dynamic and interactive setting. Professor Jolley solicited feedback from his CSUF students after the event. “The conversation with the actuaries was the highlight of the event for me because I was able to ask them a series of important questions about the profession, the industry and its challenges. We were able to connect with the SOA panel on a very personal level,” said Erick Claudino, who recently began a summer actuarial internship with the California Department of Insurance.

Recent graduate Alexander Lopez offered the following: “The SOA visit at CSUF was a phenomenal experience—my favorite part of the event was the panel discussion. There were actuaries from different backgrounds. Fortunately for me, there was a pension actuary on the panel, and I had an interview at a pension company the following week. Thanks to Michael Hammer, I was able to learn more about being a pension actuary, and I was able to use that knowledge to land my full-time job after graduation!”

Professor Jolley added, “The event exceeded my expectations. Briana and Marta did a fantastic job keeping the students engaged throughout the day, and as you can see from the student comments, the volunteer actuaries were very impactful. Hopefully, the high school and community college students will consider exploring our actuarial science program here in the future.”

Looking Ahead

The new SOA University Outreach—Candidate Connect Event aims to reach out to a diverse group of students with a STEM focus. This was the first SOA event that included local high school, community college and four-year college students for a day focused on information about the actuarial profession, the value of SOA global credentials and the appeal of the profession for students interested in careers with a math focus.

The success of this inaugural event has set the stage for future University Outreach—Candidate Connect events at other universities. The SOA plans to expand these events to include more institutions and reach an even broader audience. Based on feedback, future events may include additional activities, such as job shadowing, to further enhance the student experience.

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries, the editors, or the respective authors’ employers.

Marta Jimenez-Lutter is a manager of Student and Candidate Engagement at the Society of Actuaries. She can be reached at mjimenez-lutter@soa.org.

Jeffrey A. Jolley, FSA, is a lecturer in the Department of Finance at California State University, Fullerton. He can be reached at jjolley@fullerton.edu.