Angelica Athie, MSRM ‘12
For Angelica Athie, who was born and raised in Mexico but moved to New York after high school, attending NYU was a longstanding dream. After studying actuarial science at a city university and several years working as an actuary, she explored Stern’s graduate degree offerings and found the master’s of science program in risk management. “As soon as I saw it, it seemed like the right thing to do,” she says.
The format of the program appealed to her both personally and professionally. She judged that the courses had depth and were sufficiently related to her background, and the modules “made sense” for her schedule. After auditing Professor Ed Altman’s class, she was hooked: “I went for an hour and walked out and said, ‘this is it.’ His level of knowledge and how he engaged the class were so different from my undergraduate experience.”
Angelica applied to the program in March 2011 and began it that June. Three “outstanding” attributes were soon apparent to her. “The organization and friendliness of the staff was amazing,” she says. “Everything was completely thought out and coordinated.” Second, she found the faculty’s knowledge deep and level of discourse exceptional, both at Stern and at the Amsterdam Institute of Finance. And finally, the level of integration with her classmates was not just stimulating, but a learning experience in itself.
Angelica’s cohort, similar to most Stern graduate degree programs, was composed of professionals from around the world. Most worked in finance, whether as traders, hedge fund executives, or CFOs, she says, with a scattered few in consulting and risk management. The combination of group projects and intense classroom time created strong bonds. “The relationships I made at Stern will last forever,” Angelica vows.
Currently an international actuarial and benefits consultant for Towers Watson, which is based in New York, Angelica directs projects for multinational clients based in the U.S. and Latin America. She has also been working on a few M&A projects in Latin America with some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.
Angelica says she values the confidence she gained from earning her MSRM degree as well as the respect it garners. “I’ve been exposed to more opportunities within my current role and am more capable of seeing the big picture. I also feel that having the MSRM has helped me broaden my options going forward.”
Update: Please note that Angelica is now a Senior Associate at Mercer.
The format of the program appealed to her both personally and professionally. She judged that the courses had depth and were sufficiently related to her background, and the modules “made sense” for her schedule. After auditing Professor Ed Altman’s class, she was hooked: “I went for an hour and walked out and said, ‘this is it.’ His level of knowledge and how he engaged the class were so different from my undergraduate experience.”
Angelica applied to the program in March 2011 and began it that June. Three “outstanding” attributes were soon apparent to her. “The organization and friendliness of the staff was amazing,” she says. “Everything was completely thought out and coordinated.” Second, she found the faculty’s knowledge deep and level of discourse exceptional, both at Stern and at the Amsterdam Institute of Finance. And finally, the level of integration with her classmates was not just stimulating, but a learning experience in itself.
Angelica’s cohort, similar to most Stern graduate degree programs, was composed of professionals from around the world. Most worked in finance, whether as traders, hedge fund executives, or CFOs, she says, with a scattered few in consulting and risk management. The combination of group projects and intense classroom time created strong bonds. “The relationships I made at Stern will last forever,” Angelica vows.
Currently an international actuarial and benefits consultant for Towers Watson, which is based in New York, Angelica directs projects for multinational clients based in the U.S. and Latin America. She has also been working on a few M&A projects in Latin America with some of the largest Fortune 500 companies.
Angelica says she values the confidence she gained from earning her MSRM degree as well as the respect it garners. “I’ve been exposed to more opportunities within my current role and am more capable of seeing the big picture. I also feel that having the MSRM has helped me broaden my options going forward.”
Update: Please note that Angelica is now a Senior Associate at Mercer.