Sponsor Spotlight | Meet Sean

Who: The Actuarial Foundation announced in 2021 that F&G, a leading provider of annuities and life insurance, made a $50,000 pledge to its Modeling the Future Challenge high school math modeling competition, supporting the expansion of the program to Title 1 schools nationwide. This generous contribution from F&G will increase access to the competition to students who are traditionally underserved. Specifically, F&G’s support will go toward developing educational materials and training activities to provide new resources designed for Title 1 Schools, engaging dozens of educators from underserved schools who coached teams in the 2021-22 Modeling the Future Challenge. Title 1 schools seek to improve the education of low-income students across the country to ensure no student gets left behind because of their socioeconomic status.

What: As part of the educator training, a member of the F&G actuarial team led a webinar educating participants on what actuaries do and how they define risk. The competition will be open to eligible Title 1 students who will then have the opportunity to compete in the Modeling the Future Challenge.

Where: Since its 2016 launch, over 2,000 students nationwide have participated in the Modeling the Future Challenge. The Challenge helps students to predict how current and future innovation could change industry, actuarial science and society at large. The Challenge gives students the opportunity to research emerging industries, learn from leading businesses and consult with actuaries to conduct detailed analyses of future impacts. It also supports educators in helping students connect mathematics and data science to real-world careers. By making math engaging and demonstrating its power to open new opportunities, the Challenge helps educators inspire and motivate students to want to learn how they can solve real-world problems while also learning about sought-after STEM careers.

When: Any school or student wishing to participate in the Modeling the Future Challenge can visit mtfchallenge.org to learn more.

Why: F&G is part of the FNF family of companies. F&G is committed to helping Americans turn their aspirations into reality. F&G is a leading provider of annuity and life insurance products and is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. “Actuarial science is at the core of our business, and this partnership represents a meaningful, unique platform to provide opportunities for new and diverse talent to enter this important and rewarding field,” says Sean O’Connell is SVP and Chief Product Officer at F&G. F&G is honored to be part of this exciting and important pilot program that helps to increase and expand opportunities and inclusion to students who are traditionally underserved. What an amazing way to bring the actuary community together to engage and train educators ready to inspire and motivate these talented students.”