In partnership with the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies (BFIS), Argo Group is proud to fund a $20,000 annual scholarship that helps students in Bermuda pursue careers in the insurance industry.
The most recent recipient is Victoria Lindsay, an actuarial science and mathematics student at the University of Leicester in Leicester, U.K.
“Getting the Argo scholarship was a big benefit to me,” Lindsay said. “It just takes off the stress of worrying about financials and allows me to focus on my schoolwork.”
Lindsay and her assigned mentor, Jade Weaver, are two examples of how Argo’s undergraduate scholarships help usher talented young people into the insurance industry.
Get to know the aspiring actuary
Lindsay is the first person in her family to attend college and the first to pursue a career in insurance.
“My mom owns a beauty salon, and my dad owns a garage,” she said. “They’re very proud of me and proud that I’m following what I want to do.”
While pursuing an associate degree at Bermuda College, Lindsay enrolled in an introduction to actuarial science course, and there she found that actuarial science was a subject she excelled in and enjoyed.
“I think I got the highest grade in the class, and I wasn’t even in the actuary program,” she said.
Before receiving the BFIS scholarship, Lindsay was awarded another scholarship that brought her to Bermuda for an internship. There, she experienced her first taste of what an insurance career would look like and decided to pursue a career as an actuary.
After her internship, Lindsay returned to the U.K. from Bermuda to attend a three-year program and make her ambition a reality.
“Because of COVID lockdown, I spent my first year at Leicester in an apartment by myself,” she said. “It was good for schooling, but socially and mentally it was draining.”
Lindsay said she plans on pursuing internship opportunities and learning as much about the industry as she can before graduation. Currently, Lindsay is most interested in pensions and calculating mortality.
Following a mentor’s path
Jade Weaver, 2019 recipient of the BFIS scholarship, says the scholarship enabled her to finish college and kickstart her career. She made a strong impression during her internship at Argo, which led to her hiring right after graduation.
“Without the BFIS scholarship, I wouldn’t have had the means to travel overseas for my tertiary education,” Weaver said. “Furthermore, it allowed me to connect with Argo as a summer intern and ultimately become a full-time employee upon my graduation.”
Now, she’s been assigned to mentor Lindsay during her internship.
“It’s really full-circle to be able to mentor another BFIS scholar now that I have graduated and started my career,” Weaver said. “I hope I can provide Victoria with the necessary connections and assistance to help her find her dream career straight out of university.”
More scholarship opportunities from Argo
In 2021, the Spencer Foundation awarded its first Argo Group Diversity Scholarship to actuarial science student Maya Ramahi at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
The two-year, $10,000 scholarship is available to UIUC students seeking careers in insurance or risk management who identify with a historically underrepresented race/ethnicity.
February is Insurance Careers Month. See what makes Argo a great place to work.
