Eric Lee is graduating as Roanoke College valedictorian with a major in Actuarial Science (Honors in the Major), and a minor in Economics. Impressive, yes, but that only begins to scratch the surface of what Eric has accomplished at Roanoke. He sang in the choir, going to France with the choir to sing at Normandy on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. He is an impressive pianist, performing as accompanist for a Theatre Roanoke musical. And he passed exams P, FM, and IFM!
In case that last line did not provoke awe, you should know that the actuary profession is always one of the top-rated jobs in terms of working conditions, salary, and stability. Actuary science is the science of risk, studying data to predict the future and manage financial strategies (e.g., insurance companies setting rates). Entry to the actuary profession is restricted through exams administered by the Society of Actuaries. Our major at Roanoke College is designed to help students prepare to pass the first two exams, on Probability and Financial Mathematics. Pass those two exams and throw in an internship experience and you are highly marketable!
Eric passed those two exams, which helped him land a very prestigious internship with Willis Towers Watson in summer 2020. He then passed a third exam on Investment and Financial Markets, which earned him a job as an actuarial analyst at Geico. The internship and job would be impressive in a normal year; it is spectacular in COVID times, and is due in large part to Eric’s success on the exams.
What is Eric’s secret? I asked him in an interview:
So don’t let the gecko tell you that 15 minutes will do it! You might wonder if all of that work is worth it. Here is Eric’s answer.
You can hear more of Eric’s interview at this link.
Congratulations to Eric for his accomplishments, which make us all very proud. We wish him the best as he starts what we are sure will be a highly successful career and life!
