The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences (FNAS), Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU), organized its first competition in actuarial sciences for high school students. The event, titled “Be an Actuary,” was sponsored by the Society of Actuaries (SOA), a global professional organization that advances actuaries as leaders in measuring and managing risks to improve financial outcomes for individuals, organizations, and the public.
More than eighty high school juniors and seniors participated in the competition, coming from various schools, such as: Collège des Apôtres, Jounieh; Saint Joseph School, Cornet Chahwan; Collège Saint Joseph, Antoura; École Saint Joseph, Jbeil; Brummana High School; Lycée Officiel de Dbayeh; Collège Saint Joseph des Soeurs des Saints Coeurs, Kfardebian; Collège Mariste Notre Dame de Lourdes, Jbeil; and Collège Notre Dame de Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh. Through this interactive actuarial and mathematics platform, the goal was to engage students’ interest in the subject, acquaint them with the Actuarial Sciences program offered at NDU, and encourage them to embark on future careers in this field.
The event began with a lecture from NDU Actuarial Sciences alumna, Ms. Salwa Maalouly, the Senior Actuary and Head of the Medical Department at Actuscope Consulting in Lebanon. Maalouly’s presentation emphasized the demand for actuarial scientists in the job market, outlining her career path and explaining how her Actuarial Sciences degree provided her with an array of career options.
In the second part of the event, a 75-minute, 20-question competition was held. The goal was to challenge students to clarify, analyze, and propose solutions to basic and stimulating questions in actuarial sciences. Following the contest, the NDU Actuarial Club graded the results while the participants enjoyed refreshments and perused Department programs and financial aid brochures.
Winners were announced and prizes were distributed in the third and final section of the event. Christian Nehman from Saint Joseph, Jbeil, secured the first place win and received a pair of wireless earphones. Antonio Merheb from the Collège des Apôtres came in second and likewise received wireless earphones, and Anthony Saliba from Louaize took third place and won a power bank.
The success of the competition displays a curiosity for the field among the coming generation of university students, which is further incentive to host similar events in the future, a venture the FNAS is actively taking.