With Executive Career in Sight, Insurance Professional Achieves Lifelong Goal with Master’s Degree

What led you to earn your master’s degree at this point? Why did you choose to fulfill your goal at Metropolitan College?
I received my Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 2016 and had always desired to further my education through a master’s degree. My mom received her master’s in dietetics when I was in elementary school and I remember the sense of accomplishment it provided her. My wife also holds a master’s degree in speech and hearing communication. I desired to be counted among them and many of my peers as having furthered my education beyond an undergraduate degree.

I learned that Boston University offered the Master of Science in Insurance Management program, considering students who have finished their CPCU designation and wanted to continue their education. This fit my desire to further my education by earning a master’s degree, and also allowed me to leverage my CPCU designation to apply course credit to the program.

When I began the program, it was during the COVID pandemic, and I felt I had the time and discipline to study and achieve this lifelong goal. Although I didn’t finish in a typical two-year timeframe, I appreciated the flexibility Boston University afforded me in taking classes at a regular pace. Finally, I knew my three children would have the chance to see me achieve this goal and it was important for me to show them that I could do this.

What do you find most fascinating about the discipline of supply chain management? Do you have a particular focus within the broader field?
I have been in the field of insurance for almost 20 years, working on both the claims and origination sides of the business. I believe insurance is a field that affords business professionals the ability to master many different avenues of business from project management, to relationship building, to managing risk and preparing for the unexpected. Being aware of financial risk and potential loss, and learning how to guard against that is very important to me. I am also passionate about sharing that knowledge with others and helping people find ways to achieve financial stability and security in their own lives.

For the past eight years, I have led teams in analytical capacities, helping to highlight opportunity for efficiency and excellence in the claims, distribution, and service facets of the insurance business. My focus has been leading decision science analytics, working to produce actionable intelligence surrounding various insurance business needs leading to a better product and stronger promise for our members.

Congratulations on your high achievement in the Insurance Management program and your Award for Excellence in your studies! Looking back, what do you consider to be the main ingredients of your success?
I am humbled by the Award for Excellence in my studies. I would be the first to say while I studied and completed my assigned projects, I believe one of the differentiators for me was the regular interactions in the discussion posts each week. I worked hard to remain engaged with my classmates and read and responded to many posts during my courses. Holding myself accountable to posting frequently (sometimes multiple times per night) helped me maintain a great deal of ownership in the course material and think differently about things considering how my classmates saw topics.

I also remained vigilant in my deliverables, working very hard to get an early start on papers and group projects. I made sure not to let procrastination set in since I knew it would mean I would have to complete my coursework at times when we had family activities planned.

I did pay attention during lectures, attending class and taking copious notes. I used these notes when possible for quizzes, to aid in developing project work, and to reference during group meetings. I am a firm believer of writing things down and taking collectively exhaustive notes to keep myself engaged and focused on the task.

Finally, my family helped me immensely by creating space for me to be available at certain times for group meetings and excusing me from some duties around the house. I didn’t do this all on my own, and I owe a great debt to my wife for helping put the kids to bed a few nights when I was focused on schoolwork. I was a much more mature student and a much better student during my master’s studies than I was as an undergraduate.

How were you able to successfully balance your studies with your commitments outside the classroom?
During my studies, I was fortunate that most of my lectures occurred outside of my normal business hours. I made it a priority to attend lectures and be present for my professors. Only one course had lecture during the work day. I had a discussion with my leader, who was very accommodating.

I also kept track of things happening during the workday by forwarding my BU email to my personal email. This way, I knew what may be in store for me that evening or if I needed to respond to a group chat via WhatsApp.

Finally, as I alluded to earlier, I completed most all of my deliverables and coursework in the evening hours after my children went to bed. This was a personal commitment to make sure my three kids still had their dad to play with and talk to after their school day or during dinner. It was difficult at times when group project work came up and meeting times were scheduled that may have overlapped some family time, but I explained this to my family and they supported me greatly.

Was your success in the program driven by a particular outcome—such as professional advancement, educational achievement, personal satisfaction, or something else?
As I mentioned earlier, achieving a master’s degree was mostly a personal goal of mine from my observation of those around me. I do intend to advance my career into an executive role at my current company by leveraging the skills and knowledge I gained at Boston University. I have recognized that in the corporate world, advanced education and knowledge are important to help develop opportunities for advancement and sharing wisdom with others. This is what I intend to do as I continue to grow in my professional career.

Is there a particular course or project that enhanced your experience in the Insurance Management program? Please explain.
I greatly appreciated the Quantitative and Qualitative Decision-Making (MET AD 715) course within my curriculum. Dr. Vladimir Zlatev’s material was very applicable to my professional focus and I enjoyed the group project at the end of the course. I also felt the Innovation course I completed helped broaden my perspective on how to practice ‘progress over perfection’ and create an MVP while seeking to refine and ultimately develop a finished product. However, as recency bias would have it, the last course I completed, Project Communication and Leadership (MET AD 643), left a strong impression on me—not only through Lecturer Dave Silberman’s teaching style, but also the lecture’s substance. I was struck by much of the content on how people communicate with one another and what it means to respect/embrace different personality styles. These are too often seen simply as boxes to check in business, but Lecturer Silberman impressed upon me the importance of caring for others as humans and being genuine in my own leadership.

Can you share any examples of skills, principles, or practices learned in the program that you were concurrently able to apply to your job?
Yes! Recently, I implemented a ‘deep work’ time for my team of analysts during a Wednesday in the middle of the morning; a time when they are most alert and engaged in their work (as I learned in Lecturer Silberman’s class). The concept of ‘workblocks’ is not new for my team, but the way I guarded the time for them and endorsed it was and helped them see that I was there for them and willing to defend the time, a typically very busy time for meetings with business partners, by offering to take their meetings for them or communicate to business partners the reason why deep work time would only help pay dividends for my analysts in the long run. This has been a great practice and is something I am working to influence other teams to implement around my company.

What’s next for you? Would you say that your program helped prepare you for the next phase of your career?
My next phase looks similar to my last phase in my career, albeit with more influence and perhaps an executive role soon. I did not complete my degree thinking it would be the sole reason for a promotion, but I do feel the program has prepared me with skills and broader knowledge that I will use going forward. I am also grateful for the first-hand experience of achieving a master’s degree as it enables me to empathize with others who seek to follow a similar journey as I did. I will share my experiences with them and help motivate them in ways that are unique to having been a graduate student later in life.

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 to anyone starting the program to stay the course. It is a lot of hard work, but it is rewarding. The degree earned will be yours and will stay with you forever. The difficult, long nights are temporary. Pay attention and keep focus in your studies since you never know when you may come across a nugget of information that will stick with you and resurface during a mentoring meeting, or 1:1 interaction. People will want to know about your experience—tell them about it. Be genuine, do your part in group projects, be humble, share knowledge, and commit to yourself and the program that you will try your hardest. BU graduate alumnus status is not given, it is earned.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I feel so fortunate to be honored among many others who have come before me. This journey was an important personal accomplishment that I couldn’t have done without help from my family and support of my employer and professors. I am thrilled to have completed such a milestone and will use my experience to encourage others to reach their goals. Thank you Boston University Metropolitan College faculty for this opportunity and for the role you’ve had in furthering my professional education.

Connect with Us