Jack Hillesheim – President, Actuary Club at the University of Minnesota

For Jack, planning for the Actuarial Career Fair next fall has been a highlight of his year as President of the Club thus far. “It is a major and very renowned regional event for employers and actuarial students alike, and I am proud to be leading this effort”. 

Jack and his team of officers have some wide-reaching goals to achieve during his tenure as President throughout 2022. He noted three in particular:

• We want to effectively operate the club so our members can continue to engage with employers and gain professional opportunities.
• We are also excited to establish connections with actuary clubs at other universities to share ideas and expand our members’ networks. 
• Lastly, we have managed the financial proceeds from our events well and have the funds to be able to create some financial awards for our members We are pleased to be able to recognize the members who are proactively and creatively coming up with new ways to connect with and learn from each other, as classmates, and as future colleagues. 

In assessing what he is seeing in the industry right now, he notes “employers are looking to recruit candidates with strong computer science and data science experience. I also see that students are taking more and more actuarial exams in college, if they are seeking to go into the more traditional actuarial roles.” 

This past year, Jack has enjoyed getting to know more people. “I think that is how many of my classmates and club members feel too. When we were online it was close to impossible to meet anyone and before the pandemic I didn’t have any major-specific classes, so it is especially meaningful to make some new math friendships and connections. While we are in a big land grant university, our actuarial program and the club allow us to feel like we are part of a close knit community.”