Elsa Dahlman – President Gamma Iota Sigma University of Minnesota Chapter
Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS), is a national organization focused on the sustainable growth and diversification of the insurance industry’s student talent pipeline across all functional areas within the industry. The goal of GIS is to promote and sustain student interest in careers in insurance, risk management, and actuarial science. The University of Minnesota GIS chapter was formed in late December 2020. But because of Covid, recruiting and creating a presence on campus was only started in the fall of 2021.
The launch of the University’s GIS chapter is a lesson in persistence and knowing how to seize a unique opportunity when you see one! Elsa Dahlman, an actuarial science student, took on the Presidency in 2021. As she tells it, “early in the spring semester of 2021 I saw a flyer for a new insurance organization with leadership opportunities. GIS was looking for members and board officers. I attended an informational meeting and after learning more about the organization I saw the potential of what this chapter could be. It needed a group of trailblazers who were excited to create a vision for the organization and run with it. The four of us at the info session pursued officer roles. In June 2021, I was elected President.
By the fall of 2021 we had only four people in GIS and were struggling to recruit members. It was difficult to get students excited about an organization that hadn’t necessarily proved itself yet. Although this was discouraging at times, we stayed persistent, adjusted our approaches, and tried new things. Just one semester later, we applied what we had learned and had 74 students register for our recent 2022 spring event!
This experience offered up some key “lessons learned” for Elsa as a leader. “Have the courage and ambition to set high goals and go after them. It will eventually pay off — stay persistent and adapt. Get comfortable being a beginner and embrace the process of learning something new. Have fun along the way! Your genuine excitement and passion is more inspiring to fellow students than you might think.”
Elsa really likes he self-chosen field. “One thing I love about the insurance industry is that it needs people with all different kinds of strengths and backgrounds. We require catastrophe modelers, computer scientists, data analysts and actuaries to help drive the technical side of the industry. We also need people with strong business backgrounds, in marketing, HR, accounting and sales, to efficiently run the business. The industry recruits top leaders and managers who can effectively navigate the constantly changing industry. Many of the professionals I have met say they fell into insurance, but that they never left because they loved the industry. Insurance is one of the professional worlds' “best kept secrets”. She says, “Our industry is important and we need incredible young talent. I want students to choose insurance, not just fall into it.”
