Board of Advisors | Blog 9

On my Board of Advisors I have my parents, my grandmother, my teammates, my coach, and my roommate. I think each of these people have a seat in my life because they are the ones who influence me the most in positive ways. All of the people mentioned above are there for me unconditionally and I know will support me no matte what I do. In some cases, like my parents and grandmother, they are there to guide me since they have seen me learn and grow since a young age. They know me the best and sometimes will know what is right for me even when I don't. The next position on my board of advisors are my teammates. In my situation i'm the one who leads them, which in return influences me. Without them being there to lead then I wouldn't be trying my best to be seen as a positive and motivating leader. They are there to push me just like I am there to push them. The next most important on my board is my coach. Although we have a lot of disagreements and don't agree on everything we are both there to be working together. Our differences in opinions is what helps me grow and pushes my boundaries. Lastly is my roommate. We have only known each other for a short period of time but that doesn't mean she impacts me any less than the others. Living in such small quarters with someone who starts off as a stranger makes for a lot of compromise between both people. By this constant problem solving we go through, it has really opened up a new part of me that I didn't realized I had. Overall, all of these people in my life have a big impact on my attitude, values, and just how I go on living daily life. Without my Board of Advisors I would not be able to accomplish half of what I already have on my own.

Leader In The Field | Catherine Byrne

For Leader in the Field Interview I had the pleasure of meeting and learning about Catherine Byrne, an actuary from Boston Massachusetts. Actuarial science is a type of math that calculates and finds the probability of when someone is likely to die. It’s used primarily for life insurance companies so they can figure out how much to charge a client and make the maximum profit available. When talking to Catherine about her job I noticed how much love she had for what she did. Her job is what one would think of when you think of a typical desk job. She works standard hours, around 7 hours a day/ five days a week and has the typical holidays and vacations. While at work her day follows a standard itinerary that is just working through the different clients one by one. The math she has to use is more or less the same extensive equation that varies with the many different factors each person brings. Some of the variables are things such as age, gender, height, weight, occupation, hobbies, etc. Within these variables there are different risk factors that accompany each one. That is the part that Catherine says she finds most interesting. By each person having all these different factors combining into one it is interesting to see how the affect the outcome of how long their likely to live. 

To backtrack just a little, when growing up Catherine didn’t always want to become an actuary, in fact little to none can say they do due to the lack of knowledge about the profession. Instead, when she was younger she wanted to become a lawyer. Even throughout high school and into college she remained pre-med, studying at both Boston College and Williams and Mary in Virginia. A few years into her studies at the university, while applying for graduate school, she first heard about the actuarial science profession. Although it does require extensive background studies in math, it does not fall into one certain major. Even with her focus in pre-law she still had taken the courses recommended to take before taking the Actuary test.

In order to get an actuary license you have to take a series of tests. With passing each one brings more job opportunities. Anyone can take the tests, although it’s very challenging to pass without prior studying in the subject. Even though there are multiple tests, passing only one can already increase you're chances of getting a full time actuary job. Once someone passes the first, many companies will hire the person since they have no experience and can pay them little. Then while they work under the company the company will train them for the program and the upcoming tests they have yet to take. After preparation the company will then pay for them to take the test but keep the employ’s salary the same so as the employes experience grows they start to become underpaid. 

Overall actuarial science is becoming an increasing demand. Businesses of all kinds need these people within their company help with managing their funds and get maximum profit by knowing what to charge their customers. As the demand for accuracy increases the search for actuaries increases as well. Catherine recommends studying to become an actuary to anyone even remotely interested, especially those who excel in math. 

Future at OU | Blog 8

During my time at OU I see myself continuing to do what I do now. I am an active member in the rowing community and hope to continue to work my way through the leadership positions until I can hopefully reach team captain. Team captain is an important goal for me because I want to be able to be looked at as a role model by athletes on our team as well as other teams and people at OU. I also hope to be looked at as a leader in the Christian community as well. One of my goals I made at the beginning at the semester was to be more involved in my religion and faith and I have definitely been following through with it. I have become a leader to the children I've been teaching and as my knowledge increases I can picture myself being an active leader here on campus as well. Looking back at just the past few months I am happy at how ive been working towards my goals and how much progress I've made. I know that I just have to keep working towards my news ones and staying up with my timelines on the SMART goals.

Attitude | Blog 7

"Our attitudes are our most important assets"
I fully agree with this statement. By looking back at past events, I know that I can't control what's going on but I can always change my attitude about it. Even in the toughest situations if you go into it with a positive attitude the whole situation will seem lighter and easier. The same thing goes for something positive. It could be the greatest thing in the world but if you only look at the negatives than you're denying yourself from it's full potential. I believe if you try to keep the best attitude possible in every situation than every situation from there on out will just seem to come easier. Another example could be in a group setting. Some people really enjoy working in groups while others do not and although they could have two completely different views on it, if everyone goes into the group with a positive attitude than not only will it make it more enjoyable but it will actually get more accomplished. One time I have remembered someone's attitude influencing me was the first time I went to church. Everyone has problems (some bigger than others) and I know that everyone deals with them differently but this case was different. Although they were still problems, the pastor kept calling them "trials". Trials were something that you went to, not to punish you but to teach you a lesson. Even though this is a religious belief that not everyone arguers with, I think a large part of it has to do with his attitude. Since he is going into it thinking that he'll get something out of it and will later benefit than it's a lot more easier than just moping through the problem.