Insurance firm Cigna New Zealand has awarded Ohope local Ntombiyothando (Thando) Siziba the 2019 Cigna Actuarial Scholarship.
Now in its fifth year, the scholarship aims to enable and encourage students to consider the actuarial profession as a career path at Victoria University – the only university in New Zealand offering the subject as a major.
Siziba made the move from Ohope to Wellington in 2018 to study a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Actuarial Science and Statistics at Victoria University. According to Cigna, Siziba was chosen due to the high quality of her application, great character and passion for her degree, which demonstrated the potential she has in actuarial science. As the scholarship recipient, Siziba will be granted $5,000 towards her tertiary fees. The 21-year-old will also be provided the opportunity to gain work experience through Cigna’s summer intern programme.
“In addition to Thando’s application we received really strong applicants this year – it’s great to see there are dedicated students striving for a career in actuarial science,” Cigna chief actuary Nathan Thomas said. “Overall, we want to help develop and support future talent in the actuarial field. As a result of our scholarship, we’ve seen very capable and forward-thinking students enter into the workforce which is exciting for the future of the sector.”
Meanwhile, Siziba said she is honoured to receive the scholarship and the financial help it provides.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience with Cigna over summer to further expand my mathematical and analytical abilities,” she added.
Cigna said it is now looking at extending its scholarship offering to Auckland in the coming years to encourage and support more students studying actuarial science.
