MET’s Personal Support for Online Learning Stands Out for Insurance Maven and Master’s Graduate
Allen Chaves (MET’23)Vice President, Executive Officer & Head of Personal Lines Product, Arbella Insurance
MS, Insurance Management
What motivated you to earn your master’s degree at this point? Why did you choose to fulfill your goal at Metropolitan College?
Earning a master’s was always something that I wanted to do. I choose Boston University’s Metropolitan College because of the AACSB accreditation it holds and for its connection to my CPCU designation, which I earned in 2006.
What do you find most fascinating about the discipline of insurance management? Do you have a particular focus within the broader field?
Insurance has held my interest ever since I got my start right out of undergrad. There is always something to learn along with new challenges to face.
Congratulations on your high achievement in the Insurance Management program and your Award for Excellence in your studies! What do you consider to be the main ingredients of your success?
Looking back, I took to academic research and writing quickly, and really enjoyed it. While not every class required the same amount, research and writing was something that—once I got the hang of it—became a strength of mine, which helped me with the written deliverables and discussion topics in each course.
How were you able to successfully balance your studies with your commitments outside the classroom?
It sounds cliché, but time management was the key for me, along with an incredibly supportive family who picked up the slack or understood when “Daddy needed to do school-work after work-work.”
Was your success in the program driven by a particular outcome—such as professional advancement, educational achievement, personal satisfaction, or something else?
My drive was primarily to show my children that first and foremost education and life-long learning is important and secondly, that if you commit to something, to always try your best.
Is there a particular course or project that enhanced your experience in the Insurance Management program? Please explain.
In selecting my electives, I chose to concentrate on project management-related courses as they tied closely with an important part of my current professional role. Project and Program Governance with the late Virginia “Ginny” Greiman was an especially well-timed course for me professionally, as it helped me to see the broader challenges that project organizations face.
You were recognized by faculty and peers for your hard work and dedication to the Insurance Management program. What “words of advice” or encouragement have served as a guiding principle, or simply inspiration, for you? Any words of wisdom you would like to pass along to students starting in the program?
I would say, make sure to leverage the tools and resources available to you, which includes the people who are there to support you. While a remote learning environment can sometimes feel like you are on an island, that isn’t the case. Your professors and facilitators are there to help—so don’t hold back from asking questions!