On Thursday, November 21, the Department of Statistical Sciences celebrated the achievements of actuarial science students in the Wawanesa x UofT in-course case competition. Professor Vicki Zhang hosted the event as part of the Professional Experience course ACT390.
Sponsored by Wawanesa Insurance, a leading Property and Casualty insurer, this hybrid event saw ACT390 students engage in rigorous competition. Working in groups, they devised strategies to mitigate the frequency and severity of auto and property insurance claims. Their solutions also aimed to encourage insureds to actively engage in risk management. Students considered a range of factors, including economic trends, natural disasters, technological advancements, demographics, and legal and regulatory frameworks.
In their preparation, the students benefited immensely from the expertise of Justin Feng, Stephanie Guo, and Varun Singh—senior actuaries at Wawanesa—who provided ongoing mentorship and feedback.
The judging panel from Wawanesa, impressed by the student's analytical and creative approaches, provided detailed feedback on the proposed solutions and presentation skills before announcing the winners. The students were commended for their deep understanding of the issues, innovative solutions, and the high-quality visuals in their presentations.
The top honours went to Group 1, with Group 4 (second place) and Groups 3 and 9 (tied for third place). Each group received a certificate recognizing their hard work and creativity. Members of the winning teams were also offered the opportunity to interview for summer and fall 2025 internships at Wawanesa.
Wrapping up the competition, Professor Zhang praised all competing teams for their efforts and urged them to continue engaging in opportunities that hone their skills for a successful career in actuarial science. She encouraged students to highlight their participation in this competition on their resumes.
Congratulations to all the participants for their outstanding performance in the Wawanesa x UofT case competition!
Group 1: Students Aaminah Ghumman, Zoey Ding, Minna Chen, Lee Tze Sean.
Group 4: William Sun, Axel Kurniawan, Michael Hung (absent), Zaid Tayeh (absent).
Group 9: Arush Pandey, Andriano Rymon-Lipinski, Aaron Chan (absent).