Scholarship Will Send Actuarial Science Student to Shanghai This Fall

Combining her interests in math and travel, Elise Hanks-Witaszek will study abroad in Shanghai, China, this fall—and she recently learned that a scholarship will help her cover the expenses. 

The actuarial science and analytical finance double major has been awarded a scholarship from The Fund For Education Abroad. She was one of 100 candidates selected from a pool of more than 2,300 applicants.

While in Shanghai, Hanks-Witaszek will live and study at East China Normal University in Shanghai, study Mandarin, and complete a financial internship. 

During a job shadowing at MassMutual Insurance Company when she was in high school, Hanks-Witaszek met an actuary who travels the world as an international actuarial consultant. This experience sparked the idea of intertwining a finance career with travel.

“I believe this experience will give me invaluable insight to working within an international company and make me a better candidate when applying for future employment,” she said.

A native of Massachusetts, Hanks-Witaszek selected LVC because of the successful pass rates of LVC students on actuarial science exams. In the past three years, LVC students passed an average of 2.4 exams before graduating.

Hanks-Witaszek, who also plays tennis for the Flying Dutchmen, will blog about her studies in China on The Fund for Education Abroad website.