The Actuarial Science program at Arcadia University, in conjunction with the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society, hosted local high school students on Oct. 17 for a day full of learning, networking, and fun.

Students from Abington Friends School and Springfield Township High School were given the chance to interact directly with practicing actuaries, as well as Arcadia Actuarial Science students. Throughout the day, they learned various ways actuaries use math, statistics, and business skills to solve real-world problems; participated in fun, competitive activities to test their analytical thinking; and gained access to resources and scholarships through the professional organizations on hand.

“It’s a passion of mine to promote the actuarial profession — such a dynamic and rewarding field that many high school students don’t yet know about,” Irina Pogrebivsky, FSA, director of the Arcadia Actuarial Science program, said. “Be an Actuary Day is a wonderful way to spread the word. I’m so happy to help teach and inspire the next generation of actuaries. Arcadia is such a special place, and blending actuarial science with the university’s many opportunities beyond the major makes me truly grateful to be part of it. It’s fantastic to see such a great turnout of students from AFS and Springfield.”

Matthew MacNaughton and Adena Dershowitz are co-directors of Abington Friends’ CareerEx program. They brought students to the event who are interested in a business-related career. The Be an Actuary event is one of a handful they will take students to this year. 

“When you’re in high school or, you know, even early in college, you don’t really know what you want to do. You might have an idea of what your skills are or what your interests are leaning toward, but there are so many opportunities out there,” MacNaughton said. “So getting hands-on experience is an incredible opportunity for them.”

“For some of our students, it might be their first time on a college campus, meeting professors and students, getting a sense of what a higher ed institution looks like,” Dershowitz added. “Arcadia is such a fabulous neighbor and partner for us that we are thrilled to be able to do this together.”

Annaley Frederick ’28, an Actuarial Science major, found out about the field through a personal connection. She explained that if she did not have that connection, she may not have known about the profession, so it’s important to her to pass along the knowledge.

“Truly, I did not know what an actuary was in high school,” she said. “I’m really happy, though, with the route I’ve chosen, so I want to talk with younger students about Actuarial Science and let them know this is a path they can take.”

The Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society partner on Be an Actuary events around the country. Previous research has shown that a significant barrier for entry into the actuary field is that possible candidates are not aware of the field early enough. Meredith Brooks of the Casualty Actuarial Society traveled to Glenside from their national headquarters in Arlington, Va., to work the event.

“We bring together what we believe is a really great blend of individuals for the high schoolers to interact with,” she said. “We really owe it to our partnering schools who recruit the students, provide wonderful venues, and really put everything on.”