At SPS, Christopher...
- Turned his passion for math into a vocation
- Attended seminars with top financial service companies
- Served as President of the Columbia Actuarial Society
- Interned at PricewaterhouseCoopers and works now as a Quantitative Risk Analyst at USAA
You got a finance degree from University of Florida. What drew you to SPS?
I majored in finance with a minor in actuarial science. It was the minor that I realized was my wheelhouse. It included mathematics, which I enjoy, as well as other practical disciplines. I was drawn to Columbia’s Actuarial Science program and the ability to customize my curriculum. A key feature of the program is their exclusive networking seminar series. So, I moved to New York and dove in.
What did you get out of Columbia’s networking seminars?
Columbia resides in the financial capital of the world. As part of the program, students were routinely invited to seminars held by leading companies, like Prudential, AIG, MetLife, Deloitte, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. PWC is where I ultimately did an internship during my last summer as a student, and where I was hired as an Actuarial and Insurance Management Solutions Life Insurance Associate.
Is there any advice you’d give new students entering the program today?
Yes. Get involved. While at Columbia, I ran for the board of the Actuarial Society at Columbia University and ultimately became president of that body. It allowed me to work closely with the school’s administration. In fact, I had biweekly meetings with the Dean to set goals and work toward them together. It served me well on my résumé.
