It’s all adding up for Megan Rigler, a senior actuarial science and math double major at Saint Joseph’s University. Rigler, a native of Marlton, was recently announced as one of 13 college students worldwide to receive a 2010 John Culver Wooddy Scholarship for actuarial science.
“I knew it was a very competitive scholarship and I was confident that I had the qualifications to be selected, but you never know what will happen. So when I found out I was very excited,” Rigler says.
The scholarship, which is administered by The Actuarial Foundation, is awarded annually to college seniors who have successfully completed at least one actuarial examination, rank in the top quartile of their class and are nominated by a professor at their school. Each year, selected students receive $2,000 scholarships, established by the estate of John Culver Wooddy, a distinguished actuary who set aside funds to provide scholarships to actuarial students.
“After graduation I hope to accept a full-time position with an insurance company,” Rigler says. “My more long-term goals are to finish my actuarial examinations and complete the designation process. I hope to achieve my Fellow — the highest level of membership in the Casualty Actuarial Society — within five years.”
Rigler has already passed the 1/P and 2/FM actuarial examinations and has fulfilled all Validation by Education Experience requirements. In addition to her double major, Rigler minors in risk management and insurance. She has also served as president of the Gamma Iota Sigma professional fraternity and the Actuarial Science Club, for which she organizes everything from resume and cover letter workshops for her peers to speaking events featuring senior executives and actuaries from local insurance firms.
Robert DeLiberato, Fellow, Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS) and Member, American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) and SJU actuarial executive in residence, nominated Rigler for the scholarship, and expects the leadership and aptitude Rigler has demonstrated as a student to lead to a successful transition into the actuarial science field.
“Megan has a natural curiosity about actuarial ideas and applications. These are essential skills for all successful professional actuaries,” DeLiberato says. “She has the potential to reach a senior leadership position within the industry at a relatively young age. She possesses the talent, drive, and inter-personal skills to succeed at the highest levels of a corporation.”
The scholarship is not only a point of pride for Rigler, but also for the University’s relatively young actuarial program. Rigler is one of only a handful of scholarship recipients to come from a school in the Philadelphia area over the past 14 years.
“The actuarial profession has always maintained that the most successful actuaries have well-rounded backgrounds and excellent communication skills. That fact is often lost in the chase to pass actuarial exams as soon as possible. By recognizing a student from an actuarial science program in a liberal arts university, the John CulverWooddy Scholarship committee reaffirms the value of the liberal arts perspective in the actuarial profession,” says Richard Cavaliere, Ph.D., director of SJU’s actuarial science program and associate professor of mathematics.
“I owe so much to my professors and mentors at Saint Joseph’s. They’ve supported me in everything I’ve done and attempted to do, and have pushed me to achieve so much,” Rigler says.
