In November, the Association of Bermuda International Companies took a panel of young Bermudian IB professionals into CedarBridge Academy and the Berkeley Institute to talk to S4 students.

For some of the professionals, it meant returning to their old schools to share their successful paths in International Business.

Panellists shared why they chose their careers and the paths taken to meet their goals; financial, personal and academic challenges along the way and the value of perseverance; snapshots of their day-to-day job responsibilities; the important benefits of mentoring and networking; personality fits for certain careers; and encouraged them to find their passion and never lose focus.

In January, Abic returned to CedarBridge Academy and the Berkeley Institute to give the same sort of presentations to the S2s and S3s, a larger and younger audience.

The panellists encouraged them to find their passion, focus on their dreams and strive to improve their grades to ensure they were eligible to apply for scholarships and apply to good accredited colleges and universities.

The panellists were Christa Schweizer, corporate lawyer at ASW Law; Omar James, applications engineer at Clarien Bank; Jubilee Edness, assistant underwriter at Arch Insurance; Helen Crisson, actuarial analyst at Validus; Jennifer Beech, audit manager at KPMG; Stuart Roberts, communications manager at the Bermuda Monetary Authority; Arianna Hodgson, human resources specialist at Expertise; and DeVrae Tankard, underwriter at XL Catlin.

Ms Schweizer, Mr James, Ms Edness, Ms Crisson and Ms Beech are all Abic education awards alumni.

Patrick Tannock, chairman of Abic, said: “Abic has been actively involved in increasing Bermudian students’ awareness of career opportunities in IB and its support services, and our outreach to the Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy is a natural extension of Abic’s commitment to ensure that students are well aware not just of the opportunities — which range from accounting, underwriting, human resources, actuarial studies, law, IT and communications to banking — but just as critically that they understand the path to acquire the appropriate skill sets to participate and succeed in IB.”

The overall objective of the awards programme is to provide financial assistance to Bermudian students pursuing higher education degrees (full undergraduate or postgraduate), primarily in areas related to IB and supporting services. The long-term goal is to develop highly trained Bermudians who will return to the island to help to strengthen IB and the economy.

Jahmai Small, S4 and deputy head boy at CedarBridge Academy, said: “The presentation was very worthwhile and I feel it will be beneficial for my future endeavours. It helped me to network and also informed me of the various scholarship opportunities.”

Brianna Adams-Thompson, S4 at CedarBridge, said: “The encounter with Abic was very informative. I learnt that I am eligible for the scholarships they offer because I am interested in insurance. The presenters answered all my questions.”

Jahstice Trott, S4 at CedarBridge Academy, said: “The session was informative. I especially like the accountant and I was impressed that there was a wide variety of professions in the business sector that were represented. The professionals were approachable. I was made aware of the Abic scholarships which I will be applying for.”

Shaneya Gilbert, an S3 student at CedarBridge Academy, said: “It was inspiring. They all gave a specific blueprint on how they got to their chosen professions. It was good to hear from different levels and professionals of the business industry.”

• For more information, log on to www.bermuda scholarships.com