Meet BJU Actuaries ... current and future

Timothy Kamps, class of 2026

SOA Exam P ... January 2023
SOA Exam FM ... December 2022

Dorothy Feng, class of 2025

SOA Exam FM ... April 2023

Daniel Bell, class of 2024

SOA Exam FM ... June 2023

Luke Fressel, class of 2024

Exam SRM ... September 2023
Exam FM ... February 2023
Exam P ... March 2022

Daniel Haase, class of 2024

Exam FM ... February 2023
Exam P ... March 2022

Debbie Rocha, class of 2024

Health Insurance/Senior Citizens Intern, Lewis and Ellis Actuaries ... Summer 2022

Exam FM ... April 2023

Wes Cruver, class of 2023

Actuarial Assistant, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina ... September 2023

SOA Exam P ... September 2022
SOA Exam FM ... April 2021

Caleb Whisnant, class of 2023

Associate Actuarial Analyst, Canal Insurance Company ... July 2023
PCIP Internship, Department of Defense Air Force 772 ESS ... Summer 2022

Exam P ... May 2022
Exam FM ... April 2021

Jonathan Elwart, class of 2022

Junior Data Analyst, Jackson Dawson ... July 2022
Data Analytics Internship, Jackson Dawson ... Summer 2022

SOA Exam FM ... February 2021
SOA Exam P ... September 2020

Patrick French, class of 2022

Actuarial Assistant, Brighthouse Financial ... Summer 2022

Exam FAM ... September 2023
Exam SRM ... May 2022
Exam P ... January 2022
Exam FM ... February 2021 

Rebeca Lopez, class of 2022

M.Sc. Quantitative Finance, University College Dublin, Ireland ... beginning Fall 2022

Risk Management Intern, Oriental Bank ... Summer 2021

SOA Exam FM ... April 2019

Carl Chen, class of 2021

Senior Actuarial Associate, Prudential Financial, January 2023
Actuarial Assistant, Corebridge Financial, September 2022
Actuarial Analyst, American International Group (AIG) ... July 2021
Actuarial Intern, American International Group (AIG) ... Summer 2020

SOA Exam LTAM ... April 2022
SOA Exam SRM ... January 2022
SOA Exam IFM ... July 2020
SOA Exam P ... July 2019
SOA Exam FM ... April 2019

Nate Karamon, class of 2021

Actuarial Analyst, Milliman ... September 2021 
Actuarial Intern, Milliman ... Summer 2021
Health & Benefits Consulting Intern, Willis Towers Watson ... Summer 2020

SOA Pre-Actuarial Foundations Module ... April 2023
SOA Exam FAM-S ... March 2023
SOA Exam PA ... April 2022
SOA Exam IFM ... November 2021
SOA Exam LTAM ... July 2020
SOA Exam P ... January 2020
SOA Exam FM ... April 2019

Caleb Weberg, class of 2021

M.S. Data Science and Analytics, Clemson University ... beginning May 2023
Statistical Sampling Consultant, Deloitte Tax LLP ... January 2022
Financial Planning Intern, ASE Financial Advisory Group ... Summer 2020

SOA Exam P ... January 2020
SOA Exam FM ... February 2019

Ricardo Donado, class of 2021

Actuarial Analyst (Property and Casualty Insurance), American International Group (AIG) ... May 2021
Actuarial Assistant (Property and Casualty Insurance), American International Group (AIG) ... November 2021

SOA Exam IFM ... November 2022
SOA Exam P ... September 2021
SOA Exam FM ... August 2020

James (Cheuk Hin) Poon, class of 2020

SOA Exam P ... September 2019
SOA Exam FM ... February 2019

Michael Frushour, class of 2016

Assistant Actuary, Ameritas ... October 2022
Associate Actuary, Lincoln Financial Group ... August 2021
Actuarial Specialist, Lincoln Financial Group ... October 2019
Actuarial Analyst, Lincoln Financial Group ... July 2017
Actuarial Analyst, Mercer ... May 2016 

Member, American Academy of Actuaries ... November 2022
Associate of the Society of Actuaries .... January 2021
SOA Exam PA ... December 2019
SOA Exam LTAM ... April 2019
SOA Exam MFE ... March 2018
SOA Exam C ... October 2017
SOA Exam P ... January 2016
SOA Exam FM ... April 2015

Scott Graham, class of 2016

Actuarial Associate, Athene ... August 2019
Actuarial Analyst, Concentrix ... April 2017

Associate of the Society of Actuaries .... December 2022
SOA IRM ... October 2022
SOA PA ... April 2022
SOA LTAM ... October 2021
SOA IFM ... October 2018
SOA C ... October 2017
SOA P ... July 2015
SOA FM ... April 2015

Alex Smith, class of 2014

Associate Actuary, Protective Life ... April 2023
Senior Manager, Actuarial Business Systems Analyst ... September 2021
Senior Actuarial Analyst, Concentrix ... July 2019 - September 2021
Student Actuary, Concentrix ... February 2015 - July 2019
Actuarial Data Analyst, IBM ... May 2013 - September 2013

Associate of the Society of Actuaries ... September 2020
SOA Exam PA ... June 2020
SOA Exam MLC ... October 2017
SOA Exam MFE ... November 2016
SOA Exam C ... February 2016
SOA Exam P ... March 2014
SOA Exam FM ... April 2013

Patrick French, class of 2022

"I am very appreciative of my time in the actuarial program at BJU. There was so much I learned through the actuarial program, such as how to prepare for actuarial exams. My professors continually connected academic problems with real world examples, showing me how what I learned in the classroom can make a difference. More importantly, they showed how awesome our God is through the math that we learned.

Dr. Gardenghi is the heart of the actuarial program. She instructs, mentors, and encourages her students to live up to their potential. I knew actuarial science was hard and that passing exams is challenging, but Dr. Gardenghi equipped me with the tools I needed to succeed. She taught me how to think critically through problems, develop effective study habits, and learn how to respond to failure. She displayed genuine interest in helping me succeed in college and in my career. I would not be in an actuarial career today without her."  ... April 2023

Caleb Weberg, class of 2021

"Completing the actuarial science program from BJU has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. When I transferred to the program from humanities, I discovered that I needed to rethink the entire way I learned math – rote memorization and surface-level studying are a sure way to flounder. I learned to build my understanding of concepts from the ground up, tracing the development of each new idea from what I had already learned. I consider this – the ability to tie everything back to first concepts – to be one of the most valuable skills I learned in the program. The extensive theoretical development provided me a more intuitive understanding of the concepts I was presented with, so that even now, in my role as a statistician, I frequently encounter problems that I solve using the theory I learned in Probability and Statistics I and II.

The program is difficult, but it doesn't require extraordinary brilliance. Discipline, hard work, the will to think hard, and the humility to take advice from professors will go a long way. These, of course, are rather transferable skills, making the actuarial science program an excellent preparation for a multitude of professions." ... May 2023

Nate Karamon, class of 2021

"I would highly recommend the BJU actuarial science program to anyone interested in risk management or actuarial work. The major courses thoroughly prepare you for many of the ASA exams, which are necessary for actuarial jobs and internships. They also give you the opportunity to develop a Biblical philosophy of actuarial work. They are geared for your personal learning and growth, not just presenting material. Questions are always encouraged, and the various projects give you many opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations.

Actuaries are known for their professionalism, resilience, and versatility; BJU helped me to develop those characteristics. I learned how to connect specific formulas and facts to overarching concepts, which drastically reduced my study time. I also figured out how to juggle many responsibilities and assignments while still making time for developing relationships, which came in handy during an internship. Most importantly, I was discipled and pointed to Christ by students and faculty at BJU.

I believe that BJU actuaries get a better education than actuaries from any other school because they learn to work and think from a Christ-centered perspective."  ... August 2020

Carl Chen, class of 2021

"The actuarial science classes BJ offers has helped me in my exam journey and has prepared me for this constantly evolving profession. A liberal arts education has dynamically shaped my thinking and transformed my communication skills so that I was able to explain technical work to a non-technical audience. My actuarial professor is very knowledgeable and instrumental. She came up with various projects that challenged my critical thinking and presentation skills. After an actuarial internship experience, I now truly understand how crucial critical thinking and presentation skills are. I was able to apply these skills that I learned in school to distinguish myself in a competitive environment. I have grown to appreciate the kind of standards my professors hold me to, and what I learned from my actuarial classes were not just hard facts and knowledge, but also the problem solving skills that have helped me tackle new challenges at work and the active learning skills that enable me to be adaptive. Most importantly, without the Lord’s leading I would not have been able to achieve these things. God has put various people in my life at the right time, and I have seen in my own life how God has used Christian educators and Christian classmates to encourage and motivate me when I face trials."  ... August 2020

James (Cheuk Hin) Poon, class of 2020

By the grace of God, I was able complete actuarial science degree. I could never imagine completing this degree without Him. I would like to share little about my background beforehand. As an international student from Hong Kong, I began to have desire to help a missionary in South East Asia and East Asia as a tentmaker or local helper during my second year in College. Many countries in Asia are not pro-Christians, so having technical skills may help me to get into these countries easier. So I added Actuarial Science as my second major while I was majoring in Bible, but at that moment I did not have any faith to even do “just okay” in any math class at all because of the language barrier and also huge empty gap of mathematics study. I wasted the opportunity to study Math because of the hatred toward my Calculus teacher when I was 16, and the next time I started it again was 24. And also I have never studied any math class in English before I had Calculus I in English in Spring 2017. I am thankfully God provided what I needed for accomplishing this degree. One of the best providences from Him are the patient and kind faculty who are willing answer my “thousands of thousands” questions, so that I can understand more day by day. Praise the Lord that He not only enables me to overcome the difficulties, He also gives me grades that are better than I had expected. Moreover, He also provides the opportunity for me to work as an actuarial intern in an insurance company which I admire at home. Although through this amazing experience I understand actuary may not be the designated career for me, I have learned to become a responsible employee and teammate, and I have met many great people in there. If people told me I would do the things mentioned from above when I was 22, I would have laughed at them and thought them crazy. God has led me to the place that my limited mind could not process. By this, I have experienced how great, how sovereign, and how gracious He is. He is the same great, sovereign, and gracious God to you all. Therefore, I hope by this testimonial, it may encourage any of you to trust the great God that He can enable you to accomplish things that we can never imagine. And of course, dependence on God is not only applicable in education, but also in all aspects in life. And please keep praying for one another if we can, we do need helping from God to guide my future steps for His glory.

Brother in Christ,

James Poon(Poon, Cheuk Hin)

Alex Smith, class of 2014

"Dr. Gardenghi introduced me to the field of actuarial science when I spoke to her about switching from my current STEM major to something with just as much math but with a more direct business application. Actuarial science has been a fruitful career path for me, and I was promoted to Senior Actuarial Analyst in July of 2019. I have worked at Concentrix in Greenville, SC since early 2015 and over that time I have become a subject matter expert on fixed annuities and fixed indexed annuities, which are prevalent retirement income products. My main responsibility at Concentrix has been supporting the development of insurance policy management software. My BJU education taught me how to view problems from multiple perspectives and work effectively in multicultural and cross-department teams, which has been a critical skill in my career path. Practically speaking, my Bob Jones University degree helped me get a foot in the door for my internship at Concentrix in 2013 and the Excel experience I had developed in college established a value proposition within the department. Actuaries have to balance many competing interests in their roles, and the ability to spin a problem around in your head and view it from different angles, as taught by a liberal arts approach, has been a critical advantage. The character development and focus on Scripture that distinguish the Bob Jones experience have been at least as important in my career as technical skills. As Christians, we cannot compromise our testimony. As we strive to represent Christ to the world around us, His example of integrity and grace will control our work ethic, our communication, and our attitude towards direct reports, peers, and management.

In September 2020, I satisfied the last requirement for my ASA designation. For me, this took seven and a half years and five failed exam attempts! The exam process is very challenging but was critical in my career advancement and has put me in a leadership track. As a student I struggled in many of my math classes, and the struggling taught me how to store and use large amounts of technical knowledge. This skill was essential in taking actuarial exams, which took between 150 and 500 hours per exam. Many exams cover interesting material that is fundamental to the insurance industry, and the Society of Actuaries also uses modules to teach the non-technical aspects of actuarial work. The skills, discipline, and ability to prioritize that you will learn through the exam process will give you an advantage in any business function. For example, actuaries must be able to quickly understand what makes a new insurance product different from its competition and be able to explain how various external factors such as inflation or unemployment rates will affect the performance of the product.