Thirteen of Bermuda’s top students who are planning to attend university abroad and one day pursue careers in the insurance industry have been awarded scholarships by the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies (BFIS).The scholarships range from $5,000 per year to $30,000 per year with a combined total value of $451,000.More than 70 students, parents and BFIS alumni and trustees attended the awards reception hosted by Alterra Capital at Alterra House Tuesday night.On hand to congratulate the student was BFIS founding member and advisory trustee, Brian O’Hara, and BFIS scholarship sponsors, Kip Herring for Alterra, Grant Gibbons for Colonial Capital, Jill Husbands for Marsh and Jerome Dill for Validus.“The Foundation was created with the sole purpose of providing financial support and guidance for Bermudian students, so that they might have the opportunity to obtain the appropriate education and training in order to pursue an insurance-related career,” said Meredith Head, chairman of the BFIS scholarship committee. “This is achieved through annually awarding scholarships to outstanding students pursuing studies relevant to the insurance industry.”Since 1996, BFIS has awarded $4.3 million to 119 Bermudian students: 83 of them are now working in the insurance industry and 27 are still in the process of completing their degrees.