Eight university students have been chosen to receive the 2023 CAS Trust Scholarship. The CAS Trust Scholarship has been crafted to amplify students’ passion for the property-casualty actuarial profession while fostering a path with the CAS. These scholarship recipients have demonstrated remarkable achievements having meaningful impacts, both academically and professionally, throughout their actuarial career journeys. Following are brief profiles of the 2023 awardees.
$5,000 CAS Trust Scholarship Recipients
Nickolas Grammatico is a third-year student at the University of Waterloo, where he is studying actuarial science. He has had multiple actuarial co-op placements, including one at Intact Financial and two at PwC. Grammatico has served as the vice president of finance for the University of Waterloo’s actuarial science club and as a delegate for the 2022 ASNA conference.
“I am deeply grateful for the Casualty Actuarial Society’s commitment to recognizing individual merit and promoting excellence in the actuarial profession. Being honored for my efforts fuels my dedication to the pursuit of excellence in my work.”
Kevin Konop is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying actuarial science and risk management and insurance. He spent the summer of 2022 at Secura Insurance as an actuarial intern, followed by his current role as an actuarial summer scholar at Deloitte. At UW-Madison, Konop is heavily involved in the actuarial club, where he has held leadership positions since his sophomore year. Konop and three of his classmates secured a spot among the top six teams in the Munich Re Cup Actuarial Case Competition, where their performance earned them an overall second-place finish in March 2023.
“It fills me with profound gratitude to receive this remarkable acknowledgment from the CAS. As a dedicated student actuary, I will persist in my disciplined efforts and contribute to the community that has played a crucial role in my journey thus far.”
Daniel Polites is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is studying actuarial science and statistics. He has been interning with State Farm since 2021 and has spent time in their property-casualty and life/health departments. Polites has served as the University of Illinois actuarial science club president and serves as the CAS Student Ambassador for the university.
“I am grateful for everything the CAS does, including this support. It is an honor to achieve this recognition, and I am thankful for the opportunities it provides. Thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way, including my mentors, professors and supervisors.”
David Ramdeen is a senior at St. John’s University, where he is studying quantitative risk and insurance (a mix of actuarial science and risk management and insurance courses). He spent the summer of 2022 interning at CoAction Specialty Insurance in their catastrophe and capital modeling department. This summer Ramdeen is working at Liberty Mutual on their U.S. personal lines pricing team. To hone his craft and develop appreciation for the industry, he participates in various insurance programs and case studies on behalf of his university.
“It is a remarkable feature to be recognized by the Casualty Actuarial Society as a scholarship recipient. As a student from Jamaica, I am motivated to continue my actuarial journey and give back to the communities that have helped me to date.”
$2,500 CAS Trust Scholarship Recipients
Emily Pietersz is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is studying mathematics with a concentration in actuarial science. In the summer of 2022, Pietersz interned at Liberty Mutual and returned as an actuarial intern again this summer. Pietersz is the vice president of her university’s actuarial science club and is an active member of its Gamma Iota Sigma chapter.
“I am grateful and honored to be recognized by the CAS and selected as a recipient of the Trust Scholarship. This award inspires me to continue pursuing my dream career path, with the desire to one day give back to the actuarial community. I want to thank everyone who has supported me along my journey, especially my family, mentors and professors.”
Aimee Xu is a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles and is pursuing a degree in statistics and data science with a minor in math. This past summer, she interned at Liberty Mutual on the global retail markets team in Seattle and in summer 2023 at The Cigna Group on the commercial pricing team in Denver. Xu currently serves as the co-president of the UCLA statistics club and the director of the alumni mentor program, where she strives to help others achieve their educational and professional goals.
“Receiving this award has been a tremendous honor and is one of many avenues of opportunity that the CAS has provided me on my professional journey. I would like to thank my family, mentors and the actuarial community for their continuous support.”
Zachary Rodgers is a sophomore at Texas A&M University where he is studying applied mathematics. He spent the spring and summer of 2023 interning at Nationwide Financial, where he worked on the asset-liability management and retirement solution teams. Rodgers is also involved with the Organization of Latino Actuaries and Texas A&M’s on-campus actuarial club.
“I would like to thank the CAS and their donors for honoring me with this award. It is extremely encouraging and motivating to see an organization like the CAS invest in the future generation of actuaries.”
Nick Zonarich is a senior at Elizabethtown College studying actuarial science. In 2022 he was a summer intern at the Department of Insurance for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He spent summer 2023 at Aon exploring the consulting industry. Outside of class, Zonarich is the president of his college actuarial club and tutors in the mathematical sciences department.
“I am honored to be awarded the CAS scholarship and aim to pay it forward in the future.”
The CAS celebrates the achievements of these exceptional students and their promise as future P&C actuaries.
About the CAS Trust Scholarship Program
Funded by donations to the CAS Trust, the CAS Trust Scholarship program affords members and others an income tax deduction for fund contributions 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 CAS Trust; inquiries and contributions should be addressed to CAS Chief Business Officer Joyce Warner at jwarner@casact.org. For more information about the CAS Trust Scholarship program, including previous winners and the 2023-2024 application, please visit casact.org/trustscholarship.