Broward College introduces Risk Management concentration area
Students who pursue an A.S. degree in Business Administration now have the opportunity to specialize in Risk Management.
The specialization, which was launched two years ago, allows students to obtain three different licenses to work in the insurance industry. This is part of a new law that establishes that degree-seeking students who take three insurance courses as part of their program of study will receive licenses 2-15 (Health & Life), 20-44 (Personal lines), and 4-40 (Customer Representative) exam-free after they graduate with their associate or bachelor’s degree.
Students graduating with these licenses can go into different career paths within the insurance industry such as insurance sales representative, underwriter, agent, producer, director, and more. Starting salary ranges from $37,000 a year as an underwriter to $137,000 as a manager/director.
“In my previous career, I was a physical therapist so I was used to dealing with health insurance. I became curious about exploring the other side of it, the business side,” said Broward College graduate Yveline Belizaire, who specialized in Risk Management.
She decided to do so because of the vast sea of possibilities within the industry.
“I’m working right now as a licensed agent, I sell life insurance with a company called Combined Insurance,” she said. “But the opportunities within this field are endless,” Belizaire says that studying Risk Management also provided her with several other career opportunities. She recommends students consider the specialization as a backup plan within their majors regardless of the pathway.
Due to the close partnership between the College and the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA), Broward College graduates have an increased chance of finding a job within the industry faster than graduates from other universities in South Florida.
“A lot of insurance companies that are aware of the program are interested in working with our students by providing them internships and job opportunities,” explained Fortin Jean-Pierre, senior specialist of the career and technical education programs at Broward College, who is also responsible for the introduction of the specialization.
Through the partnership with the FAIA, the College also organizes “mixers” where members of the FAIA speak and recruit students for jobs within the industry. According to Jean-Pierre, the mixers have been a success with students getting job offers through the event. Currently, the insurance industry is facing a decline in the number of employees because of the lack of young people entering the field.
“The problem is that a majority of the people who work in insurance are getting ready to retire,” said Jean-Pierre.
This decline is encouraging employers to come together to incentivize young people to pursue careers within the field. Because of the potential of increased job opportunities in the industry, Broward College is working on expanding the program to a bachelor’s degree.
In addition to internships and job opportunities, the FAIA, through their Good Works Foundation, also provides a scholarship of $500 to students admitted to the program. The eligibility criteria include a 2.75 GPA and a grade of ‘B’ or better in the three RM courses, and to be a degree-seeking student.
For a chance to network with professionals within this booming industry and learn more about it, check out the RMI Career Social on April 3.
To learn more about Risk Management, visit http://www.broward.edu/academics/programs/business/Pages/risk-management-insurance-specialization.aspx.
Guest Blog: “I Achieved the Dream” – Mardwina Lasseur
Mardwina Lasseur is a Nursing major, Honors College student and part-time employee in the Student Affairs department. She was one of six awardees selected from hundreds of applicants across the United States to participate in the Achieving the Dream, DREAM 2018 conference in Nashville, Tennessee from February 20-23, 2018. Mardwina shares her experience.
“My last semester at Broward College has been filled with the typical struggles that many college students face, including staying up all night completing applications for numerous scholarships, universities, and jobs. So, discovering that I was selected as one of Achieving the Dream’s DREAM scholars during this overwhelming time was a wonderful revelation for me, and it made me feel as if all the hard work I had done was not in vain.
I had one of the most remarkable experiences of my life attending the Achieving the Dream’s 2018 DREAM conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Meeting other DREAM scholars, exploring the city known as the “Music City” of the United States, and site seeing to several locations, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Hatch Show Pint, which is one of the oldest letterpress shops in the United States are experiences that will remain with me for the rest of my life.
In addition to the fun I had exploring and touring around Nashville, I discovered the diligent efforts being made by Achieving the Dream and its member institutions to bridge the success gap between traditional students and underrepresented students, such as students of color, low-income students, and first-generation college students. During the conference, members of several community colleges across the nation shared their efforts to increase student achievement, which ranged from diversifying course curriculums by avoiding a “one size fits all” teaching approach to implementing open educational resources (OERs) to ensure that every student has access to class materials. These, along with changes in institutional policies to reflect equitable practices help underserved students evade the barriers that can prevent them from succeeding in postsecondary institutions.
Not only did I learn all that and so much more at the 2018 DREAM conference, I created a bond with the other scholars even though our time together was only for a few days. As a member of Broward College’s Rob “Bob” Elmore Honors College, this wonderful opportunity is among the many ways students are exposed through the honors institute. I would encourage any student who is academically driven and desires fellowship with peers who have similar motivations to consider joining the Honors College at Broward College. Believe me, their assistance can help you achieve the dream.”
Student organization DECA breaks records at state competition
Broward College DECA continues to break its own performance record in the state competition. Recently, representatives of the North Campus DECA chapter placed in the top 10 in all events in which they competed. Their performance qualifies them for the international competition in Washington, D.C., in April.
The team faced competition from more than 20 chapters and 230 students from across the state including Florida International University, Florida State University and the University of Florida.
The team competed in 12 events, placing in the top 10 in 11 of them. The Broward College DECA North Campus chapter also broke their own record for the number of awards collected at a single competition. They earned nine prizes including First, Second, and Third place in several events. Participants were required to take knowledge-based tests and present in front of a judging panel for 15 to 20 minutes. The judges praised Broward College students for their excellent written and oral presentation skills and commended their critical thinking and deep knowledge of the content in the respective fields.
Bernard Durandisse earned First place as an individual participant in Retail Management and Nekita Burnett and Luigh Joseph earned First place as a team in Business Ethics.
“I was elated to find out that we had won First place in Business Ethics. It was phenomenal because I competed and gave it my best despite being sick, it was definitely a dream come true,” said Burnett.
Other winners were:
- Advertising Campaign: Marsha Sainthilaire—Second in State
- Entrepreneurship: Marsha Sainthilaire—Third in State
- International Business: Karla Siberian and Karina Franco (team)—Third in State
- Event Planning: Karla Sibirian and Karina Franco (team)—Third in State
- Travel & Tourism: Yazmin Avila—Third in State
- Sports & Entertainment: Yazmin Avila & Bernard Durandisse (team)—Third in State
- Hotel & Lodging: Victor Hoyos—Third in State
- Restaurant & Food Service: Victor Hoyos—Fourth in State, and
- Andres Predoom—Eighth in State
- Marketing Management: Andres Perdomo—Ninth in State
“Broward College faculty and administration should be proud,” said Gross. “The goodness of how we do [in competitions] reflects how students are taught across the Broward College.”
DECA is an international student organization that prepares leaders in many fields including marketing, business management, hospitality and more. Students from any major can join.
Benefits include training in critical thinking, analysis, and presentation skills.