Currently, I am an associate on the Foundations of Insurance and Actuarial Science team. I love being a part of this unique experience. I begin the first half of my day at the high school before coming to APEX in the afternoon. On some days, my team meets at the WILC, but on other days we meet at our host site, Holmes Murphy and Associates. It has been a great opportunity to work in an authentic business setting on a regular basis. In addition to our two main locations, my team has been fortunate enough to have visited many other companies and colleges.
Our visits to different colleges have benefited me greatly. Over the past few weeks, we have visited Iowa State University and Drake University to learn more about their actuarial science and related programs. We were able to meet some of the professors and students who are currently majoring in these fields. These college visits have helped me figure out what other colleges I want to visit on my own, and helped me form questions to ask about their programs when I do visit. The visit to Iowa State made me realize that I want to seriously consider ISU as I begin my college search.
In addition to helping me think about my future education, APEX has helped me develop skills that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to develop in high school. As an associate, I have been able to work on many different projects throughout the semester including data analysis projects, the modeling the future challenge, and various presentations. My favorite opportunity this semester has been the modeling the future challenge, a real-world competition between teams from all over the country. The challenge is truly a challenge, but I have learned so much from it. I have gained many technical skills from using excel, as well as other life skills like how to balance multiple projects at one time. The competition is a test of my knowledge and abilities, but it is fun and rewarding test!
Before this year, I knew that I was interested in actuarial science, but only because I like math and had been told that I would be a good actuary. Now, I know that I do want to pursue actuarial science in the future, all thanks to APEX.