When Kimika Jackson and Taiyana Allen, 15, tell people they want to be mathematicians they often get ‘the look’. The look says ‘why would you want to do that?’.

But Kimika and Taiyana love math and have always excelled at it. Kimika, a Berkeley Institute student going into her third year, said she has always wanted to be an actuary but only had a basic understanding of what an actuary was.

This summer she and Taiyana, a CedarBridge student, and eight other students from Government secondary schools had the chance to gain a deeper insight into what a career in mathematics in Bermuda might look like through the Bermuda Education Network (BEN) Math Springboard Programme. The programme places mathematically talented teens in local companies to work shadow and learn more about the finance industry in Bermuda.

“My first week I went to an insurance company and we looked at all the different positions from actuary to catastrophe modeller to underwriter,” said Taiyana. “We got more information on what they do and how they work. We are doing a project based on the whole thing. I liked meeting with the actuary and hearing what she had to say. I was surprised that you can get insurance on anything from a body part to toys and things. I thought insurance was just for buildings, houses and cars and that sort of thing.”

Kimika and Taiyana will be starting the duel enrolment programme at the Bermuda College in August while simultaneously finishing off their high school requirements. The plan is for Taiyana and Kimika to get Associates degrees at the Bermuda College and then go on to study actuarial science in university overseas.

“The first week of the summer programme I was at KPMG,” Kimika said. “The first days I was in the audit section where most of the accountants are. I thought that I liked accounting but I realised it is not really my interest. When I moved to the advisory section where the actuaries are I liked it because it is more the risk management side of things. They basically look at the current state of situations and look how to improve them. I gained a lot of insight. Before, I only knew the basics of what an actuary is, and now I have much more in depth understanding.”

Taiyana said she has always liked strategising and problem solving. In primary school she took maths classes with the grade above her.

In the second week of the summer programme she will be work shadowing at Montpelier Re. She wants to eventually work in an insurance company. Kimika’s second week will be spent at Allied World Assurance Company Ltd.

The girls were looking forward to an insurance company modelling game held between the participants in the programme. As part of Math Springboard, students also heard presentations on the financial services industry and had an interactive lesson on proper business etiquette.

This is the fifth year for the programme. Participating companies include Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd, Allied World Assurance Company Ltd, KPMG, Sirius International and The Bermuda Monetary Authority. The lead sponsors are Montpelier Re and Sirius International.

“During their work shadow, students develop an appreciation for mathematics in the workplace,” said Dianne-Mae Burgess, Programme Manager at the BMA and Chairperson of the Math Springboard Committee. “We are confident that engaging our young people at this critical stage in their academic development will allow them to participate in a meaningful way in Bermuda’s economy in the not too distant future.”

Tahinde Frederick, Springboard Mentor and AVP at Montpelier Re said Montpelier Re was proud to support a programme that serves as a platform for students to gain an insider’s view into one of the industries that drive Bermuda’s economy.

“This is our fourth year sponsoring the programme and we look forward to many more,” she said.

Allied World said they were also delighted to support the initiative.

“Last year’s two-week Math Springboard Programme was such a success for both the students and the company, that Sirius wanted to be involved again this year,” said Grace Lovecchio, Springboard mentor and VP at Sirius. “We believe that the programme affords the students an enormous opportunity to experience first-hand the workings of an office and hope that this opportunity may help to direct them to want to pursue a career involving math.”

Wanda Armstrong, HR Manager at KPMG said the programme is an important entry-level educational tool for high school students.

“Programmes of this nature enable students to gain an awareness of their future career path,” she said.

For more information on BEN or the Math Springboard Programme contact Tracy Astwood at 505-7935 or tracy.astwood@ben.bm.