OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

AUGUST 2025

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Alan Ramirez
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Mixers
3. Community Spotlights
4. Career Corner
5. Volunteer Opportunities
6. Student Section
7. Support OLA!
8. Connect With Us
   

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2025 OLA Avanza conference!

The OLA Avanza Conference will bring together OLA prospects (college/university students, recent graduates, and career-changers), OLA Members (actuarial professionals), OLA Leaders (Board of Directors, Program Managers, and Committees), Corporate Sponsors, and Industry/Community Partners for enhanced in-person networking opportunities, including OLA's familiar Mixer format, an in-person career fair, networking meals, and breakout panels/sessions for both prospects and professionals.

New for 2025: The rebranded 2025 OLA Avanza Conference will expand the programming offered during the 2024 OLA Early Career Symposium to feature both general and breakout sessions so actuarial professionals can earn Continuing Education (CE) and/or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits.

🗣️ATTENDEES: Please ensure your OLA Member Portal account details are up-to-date to ensure you continue to receive the latest OLA news and upcoming events! If you don't have an account, you can register here:🔗 https://members.latinoactuaries.org/general/register_member_type.asp?

See you all at the OLA Avanza Conference next week!

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Past 2025 mixers

Boston - June 17

Phoenix - June 12 (collaboration with CADS)

Gerardo duarte, ASA

Hometown: Currently live in Laredo, TX, but grew up in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Both are border towns separated by the Rio Grande River.

University: University of Texas at Austin

OLA Involvement: Board Member and Director of Pipeline Development

Current Position: Senior Manager, CVS Health

Tell us a little about yourself:  I grew up in a Mexican household, but with some exposure to the U.S. culture given the proximity - I have the best of both worlds! I moved to the U.S. when I was 18, did two years of community college and transferred to UT Austin where I graduated in 2018 with a major Actuarial Science. I’ve been a Health Actuary since then holding consulting-like roles. I am a very outdoorsy guy - I enjoy hiking, catch-and-release fishing, kayaking, camping, etc.  

How has OLA impacted your career? I’ll sum it up with two things: Community and Experience.

• Community: OLA has introduced me to a vast network of actuaries who I can reach out for questions. I appreciate how much I’ve learned about the industry from chats with fellow OLA members. We are truly a community where everyone supports each other!
  
• Experience: Through volunteering and serving as a Board Member, I’ve been exposed to different situations/projects which have helped me grow as a leader and increased my business acumen. Additionally, it’s been rewarding to contribute to the growth of fellow Latine prospects and actuaries.

What is your favorite thing of being an actuary? The constant learning – I’m an intellectually curious person, and as an Actuary, I enjoy being challenged to solve problems and answer questions stemming from an ever-changing environment.

OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

March 2025

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Alan Ramirez
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Mixers
3. Community Spotlights
4. Career Corner
5. Volunteer Opportunities
6. Student Section
7. Support OLA!
8. Connect With Us
   

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2025 OLA Avanza conference - call for presentations!

• Emerging trends in the actuarial field
• Innovations in risk management, technology, and data analytics
• Leadership, career development, and DEI initiatives
• Case studies or real-world applications to our community

• Showcase expertise
• Enhance brand visibility
• Support Diversity & Inclusion
• Engage with talent

• Deadline: March 18.
• Submit your ideas by clicking here (scroll to bottom of page), which will take you to a brief survey
• Please submit a separate survey entry for each idea you propose.
• The Avanza Conference Committee will review all submissions and select the most relevant topics for this year’s program.

The 2025 OLA Leadership Meeting was a great success, bringing together our dedicated leaders to discuss the future of our organization. During the meeting, we focused on refining our strategic direction by updating our mission, vision, and strategic pillars. This effort reflects our commitment to evolving and positioning OLA as a leading force in our industry, as well as our focus to grow and support our members. These updates will be officially released in the upcoming weeks.

Also on January 31, we hosted the OLA L.A. Mixer: Meet the OLA Leadership Team! It was a great opportunity to connect with OLA members, corporate sponsors, allies, and to meet the 2025 OLA Leadership Team in Los Angeles.

Special thanks to WTW, Platinum Sponsor of OLA, for hosting OLA's Leadership meeting.

See you all at Avanza in August!

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Follow us on LinkedIn for official announcement!

Will Ringhofer, ASA

Hometown: Dallas, TX

University: University of Texas at Dallas

OLA Involvement: OLA Avanza Conference Program Manager

Current Position: Associate Actuary, Steadily

Tell us a little about yourself:  I am an actuary at Steadily, a landlord insurance company for rental property owners, working remotely from Dallas, TX, where I was raised and have lived most of my life. A unique fact about my actuarial journey is that shortly before obtaining my ASA, I made the incredibly smart decision to jump to property and casualty and take my exams all over again. Seriously though, no regrets! When I am not studying, I enjoy exercising, sports, and binge-watching TV shows with my wife. 

How has OLA impacted your career? Being Latino is something I have always been proud of due to the passion, hard work, and enthusiasm I feel were instilled in me from a young age. When a fellow actuarial student of mine introduced me to OLA in my senior year of college, I also felt those shared values, accompanied by the detail-oriented, analytical thinking mindset that basically all of us actuaries share. OLA helped me prepare for and succeed at interviewing and networking, landing me my first job offer. From this initial encounter, I saw how powerful an impact OLA could have on both students' and young professionals’ lives, and it encouraged me to give back once I started my full-time role. I’m excited to continue helping to grow the organization, increase awareness of the actuarial profession, and empower Latino actuaries to continue to excel at being thought leaders and bringing passion to the workplace.

What is your favorite thing of being an actuary? My favorite thing about being an actuary is the community. For starters, the actuarial community is essentially built on shared suffering through the grueling exam process. This fosters discussion and collaboration amongst actuarial students trying to help each other make it across the finish line. We all want one another to win, and I truly believe that. The exam process not only emphasizes making sure we are all experts at what we do but also teaches discipline and perseverance. Seeing myself and others succeed is one of the most rewarding things about being an actuary. Secondly, the actuarial community is a very small, tight-knit community. If you’re an actuary, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll meet another actuary who has met your coworker, ex-coworker, manager, or chief actuary. This interconnectedness not only helps with career growth and mentorship but also creates a sense of belonging in a profession that thrives on collaboration and shared experiences.  

OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

September 2024

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Alan Ramirez
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Community Spotlights
3. Career Corner
4. Join the OLA Leadership Team!
5. Support OLA!
6. Connect With Us
   

Return to Top of Page

cHICAGO Mixer - sEPTEMBER 26

Click here to register!

nyc Mixer - sEPTEMBER 30

Click here to register! 

cca conference - travel sponsorship alert!

OLA and the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (CCA) are sponsoring actuarial prospects (students, graduates or career changers) to attend the 2024 Conference of Consulting Actuaries Annual Meeting in Marco Island, Florida on October 27-30.   This is a great opportunity to learn what consulting actuaries do, what is currently happening in the actuarial world and mostly, a great opportunity to interact with a great group of consulting actuaries! 

Deadline to apply is this Sunday, September 22.  For more information and to apply: https://members.latinoactuaries.org/general/custom.asp?page=OLA-CCA-2024-Application-Information

We appreciate the CCA’s sponsorship to their annual conference. 

calls for presentations for CAS spring meeting open now!

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) currently has an open call for presentations for upcoming conferences. This is a great opportunity to share your expertise with your fellow actuaries, hone your speaking skills, and build your reputation as a thought leader in the profession. Session proposals can be for 50-minute informal Roundtable discussions, 60-minute Concurrent sessions, or 75-minute General sessions.

The 2025 CAS Spring Meeting will be held May 4-7 in Toronto, Canada. View the Spring Meeting Call for Presentations and submit your session proposal by September 22nd.

OLA's 2024 Early Career Symposium

What an event! 𝗢𝗟𝗔’𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 (ECS), our first solo event, took place earlier this month with 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝘀 and 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀!

The highlight of the event was our first in-person career fair, which featured 𝟯𝟬 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 and accomplished our goal of having a fair 100% focused on actuarial recruiting.
Additionally, we provided various 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 opportunities for our Latine aspiring actuaries (prospects). These included nine engaging sessions and panels featuring our event’s Premier and Visionary sponsors as well as networking meals that enhanced attendees’ ability to form connections throughout the event! Prospects were also able to interact on a more personal level with OLA Leaders and mentors who provided guidance on how to make the most of their time at the ECS altogether. Of course, prospects were also able to meet and interact with each other, sparking many lifelong friendships!
With that said, OLA is expanding to not only help Latine aspiring actuaries get into the profession, but also develop those that are already employed as actuaries. With this goal in mind, the OLA Membership team launched a 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 for the OLA Leadership team at the ECS to provide ongoing opportunities that will help our leaders grow professionally and personally.
Before wrapping up our event, we hosted our semi-annual 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 to discuss feedback on OLA’s programs as well as our strategy for the upcoming year given the momentum we’ve experienced in recent years. We appreciate your partnership, enthusiasm, and candor as we navigate this next stage of our organization’s growth.
Finally, we gathered attended for our first-ever 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 to personally thank our Platinum and Gold sponsors for their support, recognize the contributions of our amazing volunteers, send off our outgoing Board members, and present the various scholarship awards, including the 2024-2025 Named Scholars and Cresta Award winner!
Given the number of leaders/volunteers involved exceeds LinkedIn’s limit for tags in a post, we will instead share some of the moments and recognitions in future posts. Follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok for more videos!
We can’t thank everyone enough, from those who organized this event to those who attended and trusted OLA as we organized our first symposium. Despite some doubts that we could get this done, we did it!  
𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮!

New Career Center on OLA Membership POrtal

Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors can now access OLA’s new Career Center! This job board allows corporate sponsors to post and modify their company’s job openings in real-time. Simultaneously, OLA’s prospects with real-time access to these openings. All postings will still be shared in OLA’s newsletters/communications, but the OLA Newsletter team will now source these postings from the Career Center. 

For specific steps on how to post please check out our Career Corner section below. Please reach out to the OLA Career Center team at careercenter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions.

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Gonzalo equihua, ASA

Hometown: Dallas, TX

University: University of Texas at Dallas

OLA Involvement: Membership Program Manager

Current Position: Health and Benefits Actuary, EY

Tell us a little about yourself:  I am manager in EY's People Consulting line of business. I primarily work on strategy and transaction projects and serve as subject matter resource for clients as they evaluate their total rewards programs. I also help out on traditional actuarial work such as pricing and reserving. 

Can you share a bit about your own cultural identity? My parents are from Michoacan, Mexico. My sisters and myself were born in a small town in East Texas, Mount Pleasant. I have a pretty large family and growing up, Spanish was our primary language. Every summer and holiday season, we would go to Mexico to visit family. I plan to go back this upcoming holiday season to enjoy the delicious food, great music, and rich culture.

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you personally? I enjoy it. I think it's great and important to recognize the Hispanic community! I personally like trying out different food from Central and South America. This is a month of celebration and gives people the opportunity to learn and experience new things. We have a significant footprint in the US and are important to the future of this country. However, there are still many challenges that we still face as a community - whether that be competing for corporate jobs, dealing with hate crime, having limited resources, etc. There's still a lot of work to be done.  

Click here to connect with Gonzalo on LinkedIn!     

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We enjoy featuring and sharing the stories of members of the Latine actuarial community! If you have a nomination for a spotlight, please ask them to fill out this form with their information/headshot.

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CAREER CORNER

 

Looking for a new opportunity? Check out the job postings in the link below.

Click here to search our career center for opportunities

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DO YOU HAVE JOB POSTINGS TO SHARE?

Our Platinum, Gold Plus, and Gold Corporate Sponsors can now share job postings on our new Career Center portion of our OLA Membership Portal!

Any member of your team who has an OLA Member Portal account associated with your company can easily post an opportunity by logging into their OLA Member Portal account and navigating to members.latinoactuaries.org/networking to submit an opening. Please note that, when submitting the opening, you’ll want to click “No, I will tell them ‘How to Apply’ below” for the “Allow online applications?” option so that applicants aren’t mistakenly led to apply on our site instead of yours.

As a reminder, Silver sponsors can only post entry-level and intern job postings on the Career Center; any postings that do not comply with this condition will not be approved on the backend.

Please reach out to the OLA Career Center team at careercenter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions.

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exam corner

Congratulations to all our OLA team members who have passed exams recently and special shoutout to Sarah Peña who achieved her Fellowship through the Society of Actuaries.

 

 

• Sarah Peña, FSA, MAAA

 

 

 

 

Recent exam passers:

• Patrick Mazzella - FAM-L
• Paula Villafane - FAM-L
• Matthew Vazquez - SRM
  

Join the ola leadership team!

VOLUNTEER WITH OLA!

We are excited to announce the launch of our 2025 OLA Board of Directors and Program Manager applications!

𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: OLA is looking for credentialed Latine actuaries who will help further OLA’s mission by serving as a Board member. In addition to voting on financial and strategic decisions, the Board actively engages in planning and managing the workstreams assigned to their designated PMs, assistants, and/or volunteers in order to ensure the successful execution of these strategic plans. The Board also acts as the main representation of the organization when engaging with various OLA stakeholders.

The following positions are open and commence January 1, 2025, for a three-year term:
- Director of Corporate Engagement
- Director of Early Career Development
- Director of Marketing

If you are interested in volunteering for a Board position, follow this link for more information and to apply:
https://lnkd.in/ggT73kym

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝗣𝗠𝘀): There are so many programs, new initiatives, and activities going on where we can use your help! The OLA PMs assist the Board of Directors and take ownership over certain programs, events, and other initiatives while also assisting the Board in overseeing the Professional Committees (made up of professional volunteers) and Student Committees (made up of RLP students) in order to delegate various workstreams in an efficient manner.

There are many PM opportunities, all of which are described in more detail in the application. There might be a position that interests you!

For more information and to apply, follow this link: https://lnkd.in/gyUCbSSS

𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: Note the deadline is Monday, September 30, 2024, at 11:59 P.M. ET

We are all looking forward to working with you!

Questions? Email us at info@latinoactuaries.org 

 

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Support OLA!

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS

We have different sponsorship tiers that can fit your company's size and strategy! If you are interested in sponsoring OLA, please e-mail us at info@latinoactuaries.org. We can schedule a call and provide information you need or answer your questions.

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Individual Donations

OLA supports our Latine actuarial prospects (students, career changers, etc.) via scholarship programs, exam materials and registration reimbursements, and our travel program that sends prospects to OLA's Early Career Symposium (ECS) and industry conferences to help them network and securo jobs at the on-site career fairs.

Individual donations of any amount can go a long way in helping us sustain these programs, so please click here if interested in donating!

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CONNECT WITH US

 

Visit our website

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

June 2024

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Alan Ramirez
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Community Spotlights
3. Career Corner
4. Volunteer Opportunities
5. Support OLA!
6. Connect With Us
   

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Phoenix Mixer - collaboration with cads

We are excited to co-host a networking event with the Casualty Actuaries of Desert States (CADS).

Please join us on Thursday, June 13, at Fate Brewing Company in Tempe, AZ.

Network and connect with OLA and CADS leadership, actuarial candidates, corporate sponsors, and allies! We are expecting over 20 actuaries and students will be there!

A variety of drinks and appetizers will be served. Capacity is limited, so don't wait to RSVP! See you there!

Our next networking events will be in the Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia this Fall to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn for the official announcement.

On April 11, OLA members and allies from across Texas joined us for our first mixer in 2024 in Dallas, TX!

OLA is excited to announce our new offering for 2024: OLA's Early Career Symposium (ECS)!

The ECS, taking place Sunday, August 4 - Monday, August 5, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV (concurrently with the 2024 ALPFA Convention) will bring together a record-breaking 60 OLA prospects (college/university students, recent graduates, and career-changers), OLA Leaders (Board of Directors, Program Managers, and Committees), and Corporate Sponsors.  This will promote enhanced in-person networking opportunities, including OLA's familiar Mixer format, OLA's first in-person career fair, networking meals, and breakout panels/sessions. Following the success of OLA’s Rising Leaders Program (RLP) Inaugural Conference this past August, we are offering the ECS as a way to expand our programming to more of our prospects as well as increase touch points with sponsors. ECS registration is open until capacity is reached, so don't wait to purchase the ECS sponsorship package that fits your needs! Note that almost all annual sponsorship packages include some level of an ECS sponsorship package.

In you are attending the ECS, we have a few gentle reminders to note:

• As you know, we are currently past the general attendee registration deadline for the ECS. If you have any changes to the registrations, please reach out to us as soon as possible.

• If you plan to reserve your hotel using the OLA ECS hotel block, we ask that you do so by Friday, June 14, at 11:59 P.M. ET. Due to limited capacity, we will try our best but cannot guarantee any reservations booked past the deadline. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING OLA'S 2024 CAREER FAIRS

In addition to the ECS in-person Career Fair, OLA is hosting its Virtual Career Fair on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, from 2 PM – 6 PM ET.  We have some exciting ECS updates to share in two weeks, including more details on the Career Fair.

Given that Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors have the option to utilize their Career Fair benefit virtually or in-person (at the ECS), registration for the Virtual Career Fair will open first to Silver and Career Fair Only sponsors as they are limited to the virtual option. We strongly encourage Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors to choose the in-person Career Fair as capacity for both career fair formats is limited. Commitment and payment for a 2024 OLA Annual Sponsorship package is required by June 30, 2024, in order to secure your company’s space in the Virtual Career Fair.

Please reference the 2024 OLA Sponsorship Tiers document on the OLA Member Portal’s Corporate Sponsors Content Hub for more information. We look forward to a smooth and productive recruiting season!

New Career Center on OLA Membership POrtal

Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors can now access OLA’s new Career Center! This new job board will allow corporate sponsors to post and modify their company’s job openings in real-time. Simultaneously, OLA’s prospects with real-time access to these openings. All postings will still be shared in OLA’s newsletters/communications, but the OLA Newsletter team will now source these postings from the Career Center. 

For specific steps on how to post please check out our Career Corner section below. Please reach out to the OLA Career Center team at careercenter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions.

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

March 2024

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Alan Ramirez
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Community Spotlights
3. Career Corner
4. Volunteer Opportunities
5. Support OLA!
6. Connect With Us
   

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OLA NYC Mixer: meet the ola leadership team!

On January 25, the Organization of Latino Actuaries hosted the OLA NYC Mixer: Meet the OLA Leadership Team! It was a great opportunity to connect with OLA members, corporate sponsors, allies, and to meet the OLA Leadership Team in New York City. This was part of the in-person 2024 OLA Annual Leadership Meeting, which exceeded all of our expectations!

The OLA Leadership Meeting broke records with all 28 OLA Leaders attending in-person in NYC!  OLA's President, Marcela Granados, and President-Elect, Anthony Lucero, shared OLA's evolving mission and vision to continue building the amazing work with students while placing a stronger emphasis on our pipeline development and Latine leadership development/mentorship efforts.

Special thanks to New York Life Insurance, Platinum Sponsor of OLA, for hosting OLA's Leadership meeting on January 25, as well as Databricks for hosting us on January 26 and 27.

New York City is the place to see everything, including taking part in some of the world's most famous events. In the month of September, this vibrant city honors the community and influence of Hispanic citizens through events like the NY Latino Film Festival, the Hispanic Day Parade, and the Mexican Independence Day Parade, among other wonderful events.

We look forward to meeting up again!

Please join us on Thursday, April 11, at Dot's Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard in Dallas, Texas.

Network and connect with OLA leadership, actuarial candidates, corporate sponsors, and allies! Over 30 Latine actuaries will be there!

A variety of drinks and appetizers will be served. Capacity is limited, so don't wait to RSVP! See you there!

OLA is excited to announce our new offering for 2024: OLA's Early Career Symposium (ECS)!

The ECS, taking place Sunday, August 4 - Monday, August 5, 2024, in Las Vegas, NV (concurrently with the 2024 ALPFA Convention) will bring together a record-breaking 60 OLA prospects (college/university students, recent graduates, and career-changers), OLA Leaders (Board of Directors, Program Managers, and Committees), and Corporate Sponsors.  This will promote enhanced in-person networking opportunities, including OLA's familiar Mixer format, OLA's first in-person career fair, networking meals, and breakout panels/sessions. Following the success of OLA’s Rising Leaders Program (RLP) Inaugural Conference this past August, we are offering the ECS as a way to expand our programming to more of our prospects as well as increase touch points with sponsors. ECS registration is open until capacity is reached, so don't wait to purchase the ECS sponsorship package that fits your needs! Note that almost all annual sponsorship packages include some level of an ECS sponsorship package.

ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING OLA'S 2024 CAREER FAIRS

OLA is excited to announce that registration for our Early Career Symposium (ECS) in-person Career Fair taking place on Monday, August 5, in Las Vegas, NV, has opened! OLA is sponsoring travel for 60 aspiring Latine actuaries looking for both internships and full-time roles, so don’t miss out! As a reminder, commitment and payment for a 2024 OLA Annual Sponsorship package is required by April 30, 2024, in order to receive the ECS event registration link in time to secure your company’s table at the ECS Career Fair.

Furthermore, ECS event registration for all attendees will close on May 31, 2024. In the event the number of committed and paid sponsors exceeds in-person career fair capacity prior to April 30, priority will be given to companies based on the order in which they complete sponsorship payment and register representatives to the event (therefore confirming participation). Sponsors that are not able to secure their space for the in-person Career Fair will be asked to attend the Virtual Career Fair later in August instead.

We are quickly reaching capacity for this in-person Career Fair now that registration has opened, so please email the OLA Corporate Engagement team at corpengagement@latinoactuaries.org to discuss your 2024 OLA Annual Sponsorship package and/or inquire regarding your payment status.

In addition to the ECS in-person Career Fair, OLA is hosting its Virtual Career Fair on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, from 2 PM – 6 PM ET. Information on how to sign-up will be published in late Spring 2024.

Given that Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors have the option to utilize their Career Fair benefit virtually or in-person (at the ECS), registration for the Virtual Career Fair will open first to Silver and Career Fair Only sponsors as they are limited to the virtual option. We strongly encourage Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors to choose the in-person Career Fair as capacity for both career fair formats is limited. Commitment and payment for a 2024 OLA Annual Sponsorship package is required by June 30, 2024, in order to secure your company’s space in the Virtual Career Fair.

Please reference the 2024 OLA Sponsorship Tiers document on the OLA Member Portal’s Corporate Sponsors Content Hub for more information. We look forward to a smooth and productive recruiting season!

New Career Center on OLA Membership POrtal

Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors can now access OLA’s new Career Center! This new job board will allow corporate sponsors to post and modify their company’s job openings in real-time. Simultaneously, OLA’s prospects with real-time access to these openings. All postings will still be shared in OLA’s newsletters/communications, but the OLA Newsletter team will now source these postings from the Career Center. 

For specific steps on how to post please check out our Career Corner section below. Please reach out to the OLA Career Center team at careercenter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions.

CAS Opportunity

Call for Presentations for CAS Annual Meeting AND Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar

The CAS is seeking proposals for dynamic and thought-provoking educational sessions for two events in 2024. This is a great opportunity to share your passion, ideas, and expertise with your colleagues! We are accepting proposals for a variety of topics and session lengths - 50-minute Roundtable discussions, 60/75-minute Concurrent/General sessions, and Half-day Workshops. 

• 2024 Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar and Workshops - September 9-11 in San Francisco, CA
• Learn more and submit your proposal here by April 1st.

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

Summer Udpate

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Marcela Granados, FCAS (she/her)
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Community Spotlights
3. Career Corner
4. Volunteer Opportunities
5. Support OLA!
6. Connect With Us
   

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OLA's First RLP Conference

The OLA Rising Leaders Program (RLP) was created in January 2023 to help proactive OLA students develop their leadership skills and build a sense of community. This would enable them to aspire to OLA's leadership roles as they expand their skillset. Students’ participation is encouraged in both OLA/Non-OLA professional and leadership development initiatives.

The students who have earned their spot in this conference are distinguished members of OLA who have gone above and beyond in various activities, such as: OLA engagement, exam progress, industry (through case competitions and actuarial mentorship programs), leadership (as on-campus student leaders in Gamma Iota Sigma chapters), Actuarial Clubs, Residence Life, and passion for DEI initiatives across the board.

The RLP Inaugural Conference is a one-day event taking place on Sunday, August 20, 2023. The attendees are a select group of eighteen highest-performing college/university students in the RLP. Please look up an update on the success of this even in our next Industry Newsletter!

Sponsorship participation for the RLP conference is an exclusive benefit to our Platinum Level Sponsors. If you're interested on your company can get involved in the future please out to risingleaders@latinoactuaries.org.

CHICAGO HAPPY HOUR

Earlier this month, the Organization of Latino Actuaries hosted its third annual local OLA Chicago Happy Hour! This year, we had the pleasure of partnering with the ALPFA Chicago chapter. We truly are amazed on how our joint event exceeded all of our expectations! We caught up with old friends, learned about other Latine professionals in our community, and most importantly, established long-term relationships that will benefit the future Latine actuaries of America.

Chicago is such a vibrant city where the Latinidad continues to flourish, and our amazing actuarial community continues to show us unconditional support.

Special thank you to:

• Enrique Schulz, OLA’s Secretary, for hosting this event on behalf of OLA
• Jose Adrian Marroquin, MBA, MA and the rest of the ALPFA Chicago leadership team for making this happen.

We look forward to meeting up again!

Please join us on Monday, August 21, at the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, Texas.

Network and connect with OLA leadership, actuarial candidates, corporate sponsors, and allies! Over 40 Latine aspiring actuaries and close to 20 OLA leadership members (board members and program managers) will be there!

A variety of drinks and appetizers will be served. Capacity is limited, so don't wait to RSVP! See you there!

OLA is excited to see you at ALPFA's 2023 Convention in San Antonio, TX later this month!

We expect to have over 40 Latine aspiring actuaries in attendance as 20+ Latine aspiring actuaries will be sponsored to attend the ALPFA Convention.

We encourage you to extend your stay in San Antonio to ensure you don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to get personal exposure with more OLA Latine prospective actuaries (college/university students, career-changers, etc.), to showcase your company and recruit!

Upcoming Career Fairs

OLA will be hosting three virtual career fairs for Latine actuarial candidates, including career changers. Mark your calendars and save these dates: August 29, September 13 and September 28!

Last year, we had over 1,150 one-on-one chats between company reps and OLA aspiring actuaries from 19 different states! Looking forward to connecting employers once again with talented Latine candidates all over the country.

If you know Latine actuarial prospects, please encourage them to attend our career fairs.  Latine actuarial prospects can e-mail  academy@latinoactuaries.org for information on how to participate in these events.

Company registration is at capacity and closed for this round of career fairs but if you're interested in learning how your company can become a Sponsor and participate in future events please reach out to careercenter@latinoactuaries.org.

New Career Center on OLA Membership POrtal

Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum Sponsors can now access OLA’s new Career Center! This new job board will allow corporate sponsors to post and modify their company’s job openings in real-time. Simultaneously, OLA’s prospects with real-time access to these openings. All postings will still be shared in OLA’s newsletters/communications, but the OLA Newsletter team will now source these postings from the Career Center. 

For specific steps on how to post please check out our Career Corner section below. Please reach out to the OLA Career Center team at careercenter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions.

TWO CAS Opportunities

Help CAS Launch the New Property and Casualty Predictive Analytics Exam and Get Credit Towards Your ACAS

The Casualty Actuarial Society is seeking 100 participants to complete the new Property and Casualty Predictive Analytics (PCPA) exam and project in Fall 2023 to gather feedback and make improvements prior to the official launch of PCPA in May 2024. This flagship offering is available at no cost and a passing score will count towards the ACAS requirement. The PCPA will give candidates and professionals in the actuarial field a deeper understanding of key concepts and improve their predictive capabilities. The flagship offering will be administered October 30 through November 10, 2023. The exam will be a 2-hour, multiple choice exam (delivered by Pearson VUE), with an estimated 80 hours of study and preparation time. Following exam completion, the flagship group will be provided with a take-home project to be completed over a 2-week period. The project is estimated to take 20 hours to complete, which includes preparing, planning, drafting, revising, and finalizing the submission.

Participation in the Fall 2023 sitting will help the CAS to evaluate the validity, fairness and performance of the assessments. It will also provide an opportunity for participants to give feedback on the overall experience, and to validate the study times and project completion times we’ve estimated. It’s highly recommended (but not required) that candidates take the PCPA after exams MAS-I, MAS-II and 5 within the ACAS pathway. Recently credentialed ACAS are also welcome to participate. We’re seeking a diverse range of participants across organizations, regions and experience level with predictive analytics. If you are interested in participating, please contact casatp@casact.org with the subject line: Interested PA Volunteer, no later than 31 August 2023.

Calls for Presentations for Casualty Actuarial Society Webinars and RPM Seminar

The Casualty Actuarial Society currently has TWO calls for presentations open now. This is an excellent opportunity to develop or hone your presenting and thought leadership skills while helping your colleagues fulfill their continuing education requirements.

• 2024 Ratemaking, Product and Modeling (RPM) Seminar, March 18-20 in New Orleans, LA – Submissions Due by September 1, 2023
• 2024 Webinars (Year-Round) – Submissions Due December 2023

Sign up for SOA Introduction to Modeling

Expand your understanding of modeling with our interactive Zoom series, Introduction to Modeling: Summer Boot Camp. With five 90-minute sessions over the course of two weeks, we'll dive into modeling topics and techniques designed for university students and actuarial science students in the early years of their career. Maximize your learning with break-out sessions to discuss each topic with your peers and colleagues. This Boot Camp has a limited capacity, so claim your spot early. Pre-ASAs can join this interactive Zoom series for a discounted registration.

Agenda:

• August 24 - Overview of Actuarial Models
• August 25 - The Model Lifecycle/Workflow/Collaboration
• August 30 - Data and Assumptions
• August 31 - Types of Model Limitations and Simplifications
• September 1 - Documentation and Communicating Results

Registration gives you exclusive access to all session recordings. Register today to become a part of this interactive Zoom series.

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

April 2023

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members@latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Marcela Granados, FCAS (she/her)
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Community Spotlights
3. Career Corner
4. Volunteer Opportunities
5. Support OLA!
6. Connect With Us
   

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CAS - Build Your Brand as a Thought Leader

The Casualty Actuarial Society currently has THREE calls for presentations open now. This is a great opportunity to develop or hone your presenting and thought leadership skills, while also helping your colleagues fulfill their continuing education requirements.

1. 2023 CAS Annual Meeting, November 5-8, 2023, Los Angeles, CA – Proposals are due by March 31, 2023
   • Speakers are expected to travel in-person to the meeting to present.
   • Learn more and submit your Proposal here 
2. 2023 Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar and Workshops, Sept 11-13, 2023, Orlando, FL – Proposals are due by April 10
   • Speakers are expected to travel in-person to the meeting to present.
   • Learn more and submit your Proposal here 
3. 2024 CAS Webinars – Fully Virtual, Sept 2023-Oct 2024 – Proposals are due by December 29, 2023
   • Learn more and submit your Proposal here

Spread the news--OLA scholarships

Do you know any Latine students that would benefit from our scholarships? If so, please help us spread the word so we can reach as many students as possible.

The link to the applications can be found here, and applications are due April 15, 2023.

If you have any questions you can either watch a recording of one of our scholarship info sessions here or reach out to us at scholarships@latinoactuaries.org.

We also encourage students to look at all the scholarships listed in case they qualify for something else. We'd like them to get as much support as possible!

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

MARCH 2023

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members.latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Marcela Granados, FCAS (she/her)
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events & Announcements
2. Community Spotlights
3. Career Corner
4. Volunteer Opportunities
5. Support OLA!
6. Connect With Us

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American Academy of Actuaries Announces Academy Award for Research

The American Academy of Actuaries is making plans to conduct its first annual Academy Award for Research selection during the summer of 2023. The award will go to an early-career scholar whose work contributes significantly to an actuarial perspective on a public policy issue of interest to U.S. actuaries and public policy makers. The American Academy of Actuaries’ Research Committee invites submissions for consideration by March 31, 2023.

The award will include a monetary prize of $7,500 and presentations of the work—either in person or virtually—at the Academy’s annual meeting in November in Washington, D.C., and/or at the Actuarial Research Conference in July–August at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The Academy will cover reasonable travel expenses.

The award is devoted to research on a particular theme with broad applicability across different policymaking and regulatory environments and across actuarial practice areas. For the inaugural award in 2023, the theme will be Climate Change/Climate Risk. 

For more information on the submission criteria and how to enter, please click here. For any question, please contact Steve Jackson.

Spread the news--OLA scholarships

Do you know any Latine students that would benefit from our scholarships? If so, please help us spread the word so we can reach as many students as possible.

The link to the applications can be found here, and applications are due April 15, 2023.

If you have any questions we will be hosting a drop-in Q&A session on March 29th, 2023 from 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM ET. To register, please click the link here.

We also encourage students to look at all the scholarships listed in case they qualify for something else. We'd like them to get as much support as possible!

OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

February 2023

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities.

As an original OLA co-founder, I always believed in the need to have more Latine actuaries in the community. I had the pleasure of serving as Director of Marketing but stepped down from the role after having a baby and not being able to give 100%. A couple of years later, and I’m super excited to be back as Director of Membership. Our mission involves increasing the number of Latino Actuaries by promoting the profession and providing guidance, mentorship and networking opportunities. But now that we’ve grown, we also want to help Latinos advance their careers.

I am currently the Global Head of Insurance at Databricks, the Data & AI company. My actuarial skills are super relevant in my role, as I enable the field on insurance trends and use cases. I also apply heavy math and statistical concepts to the solution accelerators my team of data engineers and data scientists build.

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members.latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.

Super excited for what’s to come!

Marcela Granados, FCAS (she/her)
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. January 2023 Highlights
   
2. Upcoming Events & Announcements
3. Community Spotlights
4. Career Corner
5. Volunteer Opportunities
6. Support OLA!
7. Connect With Us
   

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2023 OLA Annual Leadership Meeting

At the end of January, we held our first in-person Annual Leadership Meeting since 2020! The OLA Leadership team got together in Scottsdale, AZ to strategize for 2023, figure out what we can do to make the biggest impact for the community, and of course spend time bonding and enjoying the limited time together (with a salsa lesson lead by two of our very own Program Managers!).

We'd like to thank the team members at Nationwide, one of OLA's Platinum Sponsors, for their invaluable assistance in planning this year's meeting at their Scottsdale, AZ, offices. We'd also like to thank the employers of many of OLA's Leadership team members for sponsoring their travel costs associated with attending this year's meeting.    

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OLA @ CAS RPM SEMINAR in SAN DIEGO

The Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) is hosting its Ratemaking, Product, and Modeling (RPM) Seminar from March 13-15, 2023, in San Diego, CA!

Anthony Lucero, OLA's Director of Early Career Development, will be attending the Seminar Luncheon on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, from 12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. to represent OLA as a table host and meet with other OLA members and allies. Special thanks to the CAS for their generous invitation and support!

Please email Anthony Lucero at events@latinoactuaries.org if you are planning to attend the RPM Seminar so we can plan to connect with you at the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

CAS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The CAS Nominating Committee wants your input on the slate of candidates for the 2023 CAS elections for the Board of Directors and President-Elect. Any member may submit a nomination, and if you are a Fellow of the CAS, you are welcome to nominate yourself.

The deadline for submissions in February 24, 2023.

This could be a great way for OLA members to promote themselves as leaders and develop leadership skills outside of their employers!

Click here for more information.

Submit your nominations here.

Spread the news--OLA scholarships

Do you know any Latine students that would benefit from our scholarships? If so, please help us spread the word so we can reach as many students as possible.

The link to the applications can be found here, and applications are due April 15, 2023.

We also encourage students to look at all the scholarships listed in case they qualify for something else. We'd like them to get as much support as possible!

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Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

University: University of Florida

Major: Finance

Expected Graduation Date: May 2025

Tell us a little about yourself: I like playing soccer, pickleball, and basketball. I’m also always looking for fun skate spots and am a frequent hiker!

How has OLA impacted your career? I love helping out with OLA in any way I can. They’ve been instrumental in helping me begin my actuarial career and I will always be grateful for that. They do a great job and are all incredibly passionate and kind people.

How have you been involved with OLA so far? I have participated in the OLA Academy, been an OLA Campus Ambassador, a member of the Rising Leaders Program, and have been the recipient of an academic scholarship, an exam reimbursement/stipend, and a conference/convention travel scholarship.

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DO YOU HAVE JOB POSTINGS TO SHARE?

Our Platinum, Gold Plus, and Gold Corporate Sponsors can send us job postings for experienced professionals to be advertised in this monthly newsletter! Postings sent to newsletter@latinoactuaries.org before February 24, 2023, will appear in the next newsletter that will be sent the first week of March.

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

VOLUNTEER WITH OLA!

Are you interested in volunteering with OLA? Sign-in to your OLA Member Portal account and edit your profile to indicate your volunteer interests! If you do not already have an OLA Member Portal account, you can click here to register.

 

Check-out our Volunteer page at https://www.latinoactuaries.org/volunteer/ for more details on volunteer opportunities, and contact us at membership@latinoactuaries.org for more information!

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OLA ACADEMY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

OLA Academy, our signature program, is a self-paced and web-based program that helps prospective actuaries navigate the job search process. We provide training on resume writing, interviewing, networking, and designing a LinkedIn profile. Given the launch of OLA Academy's Spring 2023 Participation Period (which runs through June 30, 2023), we need volunteers for the following:

• OLA Academy Coordinators who will support, guide, and mentor up to ten prospects in the same cohort (college/university students, recent graduates, or career changers).
• Resume Reviewers to help OLA's prospects effectively communicate what they have achieved and why they would be great hires. These volunteers will review resumes for one or more actuarial entry-level applicants, based on availability.
• Mock Interviewers who can coach students on preparing for real internship or full-time job interviews. Some prospects have never interviewed in a professional setting, so you can help us increase their interview experience and confidence! These volunteers interview around three prospects, on average, based on availability.
• HireVue Submission Reviewers will help us prepare our job seekers in conveying their skills and competencies in a recorded interview. This skill is crucial given the increasing prevalence of virtual interview tools in initial screening processes. HireVue is the platform we selected given its wide use in the industry. Volunteers will be asked to review mock HireVue screenings and provide written and constructive feedback for OLA Academy participants.

If you're interested in any of the above opportunities, please indicate that interest in the "Volunteer Preferences" field in your OLA Member Portal profile, and email academy@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions! We will reach out to interested volunteers on a rolling basis to get them onboarded ASAP.

 

Note that you can volunteer for multiple programs simultaneously (as your schedule permits), so don't hesitate to sign-up if you're already volunteering in another capacity!

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VOLUNTEER WITH THE SOA FOR "BE AN ACTUARY DAY" AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

The SOA is looking for professionals at the ASA or FSA level to share their passion and experience with future actuaries in the Philadelphia area!

Volunteers will serve as table leads for a high school student-facing event. This event is under the "Be An Actuary" brand, which is a joint effort between the SOA and CAS to grow the pipeline of students in the actuarial profession.

Volunteers will talk about and answer questions about the profession as well as help students work through math problems and games.

This event is scheduled to be held in-person on Monday, March 6 from 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. at Temple University.

For more information and to apply, please click here.

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Volunteer for the CAS Race and Insurance Pricing Task Force

The Casualty Actuarial Society is seeking credentialed Property & Casualty actuaries to participate in our CAS Approach to Race and Insurance Pricing effort.

In 2022, the CAS Board Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee supported the publication of the CAS Research Paper Series on Race and Insurance Pricing. The Race and Insurance Pricing Task Force will carry this work forward in 2023 with additional research to address actuarial issues of property and casualty insurance ratemaking that are relevant to the insurance industry discourse on the impact of potential racial bias in insurance, as it supports advancing the body of knowledge of actuarial practice. You are not required to perform research to participate in this task force, unless you want to! The task force charge includes reviewing and refining potential research topics proposed for Phase 2 of the CAS Approach to Race and Insurance Pricing, drafting requests for research proposals on selected topics, evaluating research proposals and participating in project oversight groups for CAS-commissioned research on these topics. The expected time commitment is approximately 20 hours over the first six months of 2023. Potential volunteer time commitments in the second half of 2023 may vary based on the projects kicked off in the first half of the year. If you are interested in joining this task force, email Mallika Bender, DE&I Staff Actuary, at mbender@casact.org.

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Support OLA!

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS

We have different sponsorship tiers that can fit your company's size and strategy! If you are interested in sponsoring OLA, please e-mail us at info@latinoactuaries.org. We can schedule a call and provide information you need or answer your questions.

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Individual Donations

OLA supports our Latine actuarial prospects (students, career changers, etc.) via scholarship programs, exam materials and registration reimbursements, and our travel program that sends prospects to the ALPFA and GIS conventions to help them network and secure jobs at the on-site career fairs.

Individual donations of any amount can go a long way in helping us sustain these programs, so please click here if interested in donating!

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CONNECT WITH US

 

Visit our website

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OLA INDUSTRY Mid-Month Update

JAnuary 18, 2023

Dear OLA Community,

This mid-month update is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers as a supplement to our usual monthly industry newsletter whenever there is time-sensitive information to share prior to the release of the following monthly newsletter. Please check-out the announcements below! 

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members.latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Anthony Lucero, ASA (he/him)
2022 Director of Membership
2023 Director of Early Career Development

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Events
   
2. Career Corner
   
3. Connect With Us
   

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Travelers Actuarial Group Networking Event

Calling all experienced Actuarial professionals! Travelers is hosting a networking event themed around the personal diversity journeys of Travelers leaders within the company along with a keynote speech from their Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Dr. Lauren Young.

This event will be held virtually on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 from 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST.

For more information, you can reference the flyer here and register using the link in the flyer or by clicking here.

OLA-ALPFA PHOENIX MIXER

OLA is excited to collaborate with the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) Phoenix Chapter to offer both communities the chance to connect at a Social Mixer taking place next week, concurrent with OLA's 2023 Annual Leadership Meeting!

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 P.M. MST
Location: Fireside at Desert Ridge Community Center, 3775 East Lone Cactus Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85050

Register on the Eventbrite site here by this Friday, January 20, 2023!

We invite any OLA prospects and professionals, allies, academic institutions, industry partners, and corporate sponsors to attend! For those representing academic institutions, industry partners, and corporate sponsors, we ask that each institution/organization limits their attendance to two representatives each due to venue capacity constraints.

Please email us at events@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

JAnuary 2023

Dear OLA Community,

Happy New Year! This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities.

As occurs at the beginning of every year, the OLA Leadership team adds new faces and evolves to meet our community's rapid growth! While we will introduce the 2023 OLA Leadership team in our next issue, I want to provide the first announcement that I will be filling Regina Kintana's shoes as the new Director of Early Career Development since she will now serve OLA as President in 2023! Please join us in congratulating her and wishing her well in this new endeavor.

I want to use this opportunity to thank you all for your support this past year as we continued to improve the OLA experience for our stakeholders in 2022, not least (from the Membership perspective) with the launch of this Industry Newsletter and the OLA Member Portal. Look out for further communications from my successor, who will provide an introduction in the next issue.

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members.latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to our newsletter team at newsletter@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback (or for corporate sponsors and partners, any items you'd like featured in this newsletter), and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Anthony Lucero, ASA (he/him)
2022 Director of Membership
2023 Director of Early Career Development

Table of Contents

1. Fall 2022 Highlights
   
2. Upcoming Events
3. Community Spotlights
4. Career Corner
5. Volunteer Opportunities
6. Support OLA!
7. Connect With Us
   

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OLA @ CCA 2022 Annual Meeting

OLA members Lorena Gonzalez, Daniel Rivas, and Carolina Santiago were awarded the OLA travel scholarship to attend the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (CCA) Annual Meeting and learn about the latest trends in the actuarial field alongside hundreds of actuaries!

This group was accompanied by OLA leaders, Manuel Guerra, OLA's Director of Corporate Engagement, and Adrian Corredoira, University Relations Program Manager.

Thank you to the CCA, a Platinum Sponsor of OLA, for the invitation and continuous support!

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2023 OLA Annual LEadership Meeting

OLA is excited to bring together over twenty new and returning members of the OLA Leadership team (consisting of the Board of Directors and Program Managers) to its first in-person Annual Leadership Meeting since 2020! The 2023 Annual Leadership Meeting will be held in Phoenix, AZ, from January 25-27.

We'd like to thank the team members at Nationwide, one of OLA's Platinum Sponsors, for their invaluable assistance in planning this year's meeting at their Scottsdale, AZ, offices. We'd also like to thank the employers of many of OLA's Leadership team members for sponsoring their travel costs associated with attending this year's meeting. A more detailed listing of event sponsors and takeaways from this meeting will be featured in our next issue. Our team is looking forward to gathering and planning another great year!

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Hometown: Dickinson, TX

University: Texas A&M University

Major: Applied Mathematics

Expected Graduation Date: December 2023

Tell us a little about yourself: I'm an avid reader and I'm especially fond of mysteries, thrillers, romance, anything that can get a reaction out of me! A fun fact about me is I couldn't tell my right from my left until I was 15 when I started learning how to drive!

How has OLA impacted your career? The Organization of Latino Actuaries has become one of my biggest support systems in helping me progress individually and professionally. OLA is united by one goal: to create a growing and supporting community for students and professionals alike. Everyone is so supportive and you are encouraged to put yourself out there with so many different opportunities available from scholarships to professional development opportunities. Getting involved with OLA was probably the best decision I've ever made in my academic career.

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Job Postings as of December 24, 2022

OLA Members, please click on the following job posting titles to explore openings sent to us by our Platinum, Gold Plus, and Gold Corporate Sponsors.

• Ally Financial
  •  Senior Actuarial Analyst
    

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DO YOU HAVE JOB POSTINGS TO SHARE?

Our Platinum, Gold Plus, and Gold Corporate Sponsors can send us job postings for experienced professionals to be advertised in this monthly newsletter! Postings sent to corpengagement@latinoactuaries.org before January 24, 2023, will appear in the next newsletter that will be sent the first week of February.

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

VOLUNTEER WITH OLA!

Are you interested in volunteering with OLA? Sign-in to your OLA Member Portal account and edit your profile to indicate your volunteer interests! If you do not already have an OLA Member Portal account, you can click here to register.

 

Check-out our Volunteer page at https://www.latinoactuaries.org/volunteer/ for more details on volunteer opportunities, and contact us at membership@latinoactuaries.org for more information!

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Become a Coordinator for a New OLA Program!

OLA is excited to launch the Rising Leaders Program (RLP) in January 2023 with our most engaged college/university students! Similar to OLA Academy, the RLP will group participants into small cohorts of approximately ten students each based on their expected graduation date and geographic location. The RLP will focus on leadership development beyond the foundational professional development skills provided via participation in OLA Academy.

 

As a result, we need both Latine and non-Latine actuarial professionals who will serve as coordinators for one cohort each. Coordinators will be expected to attend an orientation session with the RLP Executive Committee and virtually meet with their cohort periodically to support and mentor them for the Spring 2023 Participation Period from January to June 2023.

 

If you're interested in learning more about becoming a coordinator, please add "OLA Rising Leaders Program Coordinator" to the Volunteer Preferences field in your OLA Member Portal profile before January 15, and email risingleaders@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions! Those who indicate this preference will be invited to the orientation session in mid to late January, after which volunteers can decide whether or not to commit to serving as coordinators for the Spring 2023 Participation Period.

 

Note that you can serve as both an OLA Academy Coordinator and OLA RLP Coordinator simultaneously.

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CAS Seminar on Reinsurance

The CAS is looking for presentations and speakers for their Seminar on Reinsurance hosted in Philadelphia in June 2023. They're looking for sessions focusing deeply on a narrow topic to ensure the audience leaves the session with a solid understanding and useful application regarding said topic.

 

For more information and to submit a proposal for presentation, please follow the link here to the CAS website. Deadline to apply is January 13, 2023. If you have any questions, please reach out directly to David Core, Director of Professional Education at CAS.

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Support OLA!

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS

We have different sponsorship tiers that can fit your company's size and strategy! If you are interested in sponsoring OLA, please e-mail us at info@latinoactuaries.org. We can schedule a call and provide information you need or answer your questions.

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Individual Donations

OLA supports our Latine actuarial prospects (students, career changers, etc.) via scholarship programs, exam materials and registration reimbursements, and our travel program that sends prospects to the ALPFA and GIS conventions to help them network and secure jobs at the on-site career fairs.

Individual donations of any amount can go a long way in helping us sustain these programs, so please click here if interested in donating!

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CONNECT WITH US

 

Visit our website

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OLA INDUSTRY NEWSLETTER

October 2022

Dear OLA Community,

This industry newsletter is provided to our professional members, industry sponsors, partners, allies, and subscribers to keep you current with OLA's various activities, spotlight members of our community, and connect you with career and volunteer opportunities.

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members.latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please reach out to me at membership@latinoactuaries.org if you have any questions or feedback, and thank you for your continued support of OLA!

Anthony Lucero, ASA (he/him)
Director of Membership

Table of Contents

1. OLA Celebrates 5 Years!
2. National Hispanic Heritage Month
3. Summer 2022 Highlights
4. Upcoming Events
5. Community Spotlights
6. Career Corner
7. Volunteer Opportunities
8. Support OLA!
9. Connect With Us
   

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A Message from our President 

OLA Community:

Join me in wishing OLA Feliz Cumpleaños as we turn 5! What was just a dream and vision to help clear a pathway for Latinos to the actuarial profession has materialized into helping over 200 candidates receive a full-time or internship offer and award over $175,000 in scholarships.

On this occasion, I want to thank all our corporate sponsors for their financial support and our many volunteers dedicated to DEI for their passion – dedicating many hours helping aspiring actuaries. We could not have done it without you.

I am very excited for what the future holds!

Isaac Maycotte
President

5 Years of Achievements!

Since OLA's founding in 2017, great strides have been made to increase the Latine community's representation in the actuarial community. We are proud of what the organization and community have achieved in such a short period of time. Check out the graphic on the right for more details!

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Highlights from OLA's 5-Year Celebration 

We want to thank everyone who has made OLA’s first five years both possible and so successful! We thank our volunteers, past and present members of our Board of Directors, Program Managers, our sponsors, recruiters, fellow actuaries, professors, and all friends of OLA; without your support, we could not have made it this far!

It was incredibly encouraging to see such great turnout at our 5th Anniversary Celebration this August in Orlando, Florida! Board members Adelaida Campos, Regina Kintana, Anji Li, Anthony Lucero, and Carlos Orozco, along with Program Managers Brandon Alcaide, Adrian Corredoira, Melissa Salazar, and Felipe Valladares, were present to welcome the OLA members, sponsors, and allies who joined this joyous celebration! Special thanks to Adelaida Campos, co-founder of OLA and current Board member, for organizing this successful event!

We are looking forward to many more years of success ahead as we increase the Latine community's representation in the actuarial community!

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National Hispanic Heritage Month

SOA Authentic Conversations

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with Anthony Lucero, OLA's Director of Membership, and Ryan Diaz, an OLA student member, while also discussing important advice for aspiring actuaries. Learn about schedule balancing as well as ways to prepare for the future from an actuary currently practicing in the field. Help us honor National Hispanic Heritage Month by checking out Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview on YouTube. Many thanks to the Society of Actuaries (SOA) for facilitating this Authentic Conversation! 

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Summer 2022 Highlights

JUNE HAPPY HOURS: NYC & CHICAGO 

Thank you to all who attended OLA's June happy hours in New York City & Chicago! We appreciate the efforts of Anthony Lucero, OLA's Director of Membership, and Enrique Schulz, OLA volunteer and former Board Member, for organizing these respective events. We were thrilled to witness excellent turnout for OLA's first in-person events since 2020, so we once again thank all our members and allies who attended!

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OLA @ ALPFA 2022

The OLA community came out in full-force to attend the 2022 Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) Convention in Orlando, Florida, this August! Given such a large presence of Latine professionals, allies, and corporate sponsors, it was only fitting that OLA put together its largest travel sponsorship program of the year. OLA sponsored the attendance of twenty Latine college/university students, recent graduates, and career changers; Nationwide, an OLA Platinum Sponsor, sponsored another four students!

With the guidance of the five members of the OLA Board of Directors and four OLA Program Managers also in attendance, our Latine actuarial prospects were able to navigate the massive career fair and networking events this convention had to offer. In fact, some of our prospects left the convention with offers in-hand! Both OLA leaders and corporate sponsors were impressed with the group's professional development in the course of just a few days. We look forward to partnering with ALPFA in the coming years to enhance the Latine talent pipeline not just for the actuarial community, but for the professional world at-large!

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OLA CAREER FAIRS

OLA hosted three virtual career fairs between August and September, and we want to express our gratitude to all of our sponsors and actuarial employers who participated this year. We appreciate their support of OLA's mission to increase diversity in the actuarial profession, and their interest and support of our talented actuarial candidates.

Across all career fairs, we had over 1,150 one-on-one chats between company representatives and OLA aspiring actuaries; we had candidates from 19 different states participating!

We've listed participating sponsors below by tier. We can’t wait to hear about upcoming placements at these companies!

Platinum Sponsors

Ally, Deloitte, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas, Milliman, Nationwide, New York Life Insurance Company, Pacific Life, WTW

Gold Sponsors

Allianz, Allstate, Blue Shield of California, Brighthouse Financial, Aetna, a CVS Health Company, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Lincoln Financial Group, Travelers, Segal, Unum

Silver Sponsors

AIG/Corebridge Financial, AON, AXA, Centene Corporation, Church Mutual Insurance, CNA Insurance, Cigna, Fidelity, Gallagher, John Hancock, Oliver Wyman, Northwestern Mutual, OneAmerica, Principal, Swiss Re, Voya Financial, Zurich

Career Fair sponsors

Chubb, CNO, Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company, MetLife, Mutual of Omaha, Munich Re, Protective Life, State Farm Insurance, Wakely

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OLA @ GIS 2022

This September, OLA sponsored the attendance of ten (10) Latine undergraduate college/university students at the 2022 Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina! Our student group, led by Anthony Lucero, OLA's Director of Membership, and Felipe Valladares, OLA's Career Center & Career Fairs Program Manager (PM), represented eight colleges/universities across four states!

OLA is proud to share that several of our Latine actuarial students leading and representing four GIS Student Chapters at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, The University of Texas at El Paso, The University of Texas at Austin, and Georgia State University, brought home GIS International Awards for their contributions to growing and enhancing the insurance industry talent pipeline! 

In addition, OLA hosted a mixer to acquaint our OLA students and leaders with our corporate sponsors, partners, and other allies. Even with an impending tropical storm, over 45 guests attended! It was great seeing everyone enjoy themselves while also engaging in an excellent networking opportunity. OLA extends a big "thank you" to everyone who was able to make it for supporting our community!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

OLA @ 2022 CCA Annual Meeting

OLA and the Conference of Consulting Actuaries (CCA) are sponsoring three students and career changers to attend the 2022 CCA Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, from October 16-19, 2022.

Manuel Guerra, OLA’s Director of Corporate Engagement, and Adrian Corredoira, University Relations Program Manager, will mentor the students as they learn about the latest trends in the actuarial field alongside hundreds of actuaries.

If you will be in attendance, please make sure to stop by and say hello to the OLA candidates!

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OLA @ 2022 SOA ImpACT Conference

Society of Actuaries' (SOA) Diversity and Inclusion Community Mixer

You are invited to the SOA's Diversity and Inclusion Community Mixer in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, October 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. ET. Venue information is as follows: Crystal Ballroom J1, Orlando Marriott World Center, 8701 World Center Dr., Orlando, FL 32821-6358.

Alfonso Carrillo-Lundgren, OLA’s Director of Community Engagement. will be there representing OLA. Join him and other actuaries representing our partner organizations: International Association of Black Actuaries (IABA), Sexuality and Gender Alliance of Actuaries (SAGAA), Network of Actuarial Women and Allies (NAWA), South Asian Network of Actuaries (SANA), and Abacus Actuaries.

This event is free and open to anyone. You do NOT need to register for the ImpACT Conference in order to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sessions presented by OLA Leaders!

If you are registered to attend the SOA ImpACT Conference, be sure to catch Session 10E: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Issues in Retirement Preparedness and Other Aging Issues, presented by Alfonso Carrillo-Lundgren, OLA’s Director of Community Engagement, on Wednesday, October 26, from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.

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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTS

Marta CAndelas

Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico

University: Vassar College

Major: Mathematics

How has OLA impacted your career? I am beyond grateful for the tools that OLA has provided me throughout the past year. As a liberal arts student, I did not have a big actuarial department at my school. However, OLA has built a bridge for me in this field by providing resources and being there every step of this journey. I have been able to meet some incredibly smart people in the actuarial field and made some lifelong friendships.

Marta is a full-time undergraduate student and will be starting a full-time actuarial position at New York Life in Summer 2023!

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ALEXIS MARIN

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

University: Baruch College

Major: Actuarial Science

Expected Graduation Date: May 2023

Tell us a little about yourself: I enjoy traveling. I have been to numerous cities across the U.S. including Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami and I hope to expand my travel to international places!

How has OLA impacted your career? One day I was on LinkedIn and one of my connections shared an opportunity with OLA Academy. After applying and meeting the OLA familia, I immediately found myself with a ton of opportunities such as exam support, conference sponsorship, and mentoring. I was recently sponsored to go to both the ALPFA Convention and Gamma Iota Sigma Annual Conference where I met a ton of professionals. I am extremely grateful for OLA and the resources that they offer! OLA has helped me grow as a person and as a professional; I highly recommend it to any Latino who is interested in the actuarial profession!

What are your professional development goals? In the long-term, I’m hoping to someday give back to the Latino community through mentorship and teaching the same way OLA has helped me.

 

OLA is grateful for Alexis's help in sharing his experiences as a full-time undergraduate student representing OLA at the 2022 Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) Convention and 2022 Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) Annual Conference via OLA Instagram takeovers!

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We enjoy featuring and sharing the stories of members of the Latine actuarial community! If you have a nomination for a spotlight, please ask them to fill out this form with their information/headshot.

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CAREER CORNER

DO YOU HAVE JOB POSTINGS TO SHARE?

Our Platinum and Gold Corporate Sponsors can send us job postings for experienced professionals to be advertised in this monthly newsletter! Postings sent to corpengagement@latinoactuaries.org before October 24, 2022, will appear in the next newsletter that will be sent the first week of November.

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer with OLA!

Are you interested in volunteering with OLA? Sign-in to your OLA Member Portal account and edit your profile to indicate your volunteer interests! If you do not already have an OLA Member Portal account, you can click here to register.

 

Check-out our Volunteer page at https://www.latinoactuaries.org/volunteer/ for more details on volunteer opportunities, and contact us at membership@latinoactuaries.org for more information!

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Become an OLA Leader!

Program Manager (PM) Application

Are you interested in helping shape the future of OLA? Apply to be an OLA Program Manager (PM) for 2023! OLA is looking for volunteers who will help further OLA’s mission by managing OLA's programs in the PM capacity.

The OLA PMs will assist the OLA Board of Directors in enhancing the organization's progress by increasing the number of outreach opportunities and refining OLA's vision. While PMs do not vote on OLA's financial and strategic decisions (as voting is reserved for the Board of Directors), we encourage you to help shape the future of OLA by volunteering as a PM!

You can find more detailed information, as well as the application itself, here: members.latinoactuaries.org/page/OLA-2023-PM-Application-Information

As you read that information, note the final deadline of Monday, October 17, 2022, 11:59 P.M. PT.

 

Board of Directors Application

Given the OLA Board of Directors will finalize the PM selection process in the coming weeks, please lookout for a Board of Directors application coming soon! We will notify our distribution list with more details when the application is launched in the next two to three weeks.

If you are not already on our distribution list, please register for an OLA Member Portal account at members.latinoactuaries.org to receive this newsletter and other important communications!

Please let us know if you have any questions and/or would like to speak directly with a member of the Board of Directors for more information. We’d be happy to chat with you!

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Support OLA!

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS

We have different sponsorship tiers that can fit your company's size and strategy! If you are interested in sponsoring OLA, please e-mail us at info@latinoactuaries.org. We can schedule a call and provide information you need or answer your questions.

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Individual Donations

OLA supports our Latine actuarial prospects (students, career changers, etc.) via scholarship programs, exam materials and registration reimbursements, and our travel program that sends prospects to the ALPFA and GIS conventions to help them network and secure jobs at the on-site career fairs.

Individual donations of any amount can go a long way in helping us sustain these programs, so please click here if interested in donating!

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CONNECT WITH US

 

Visit our website

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