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Actuarial Science student bags Adrian Gore Fellowship

- Wits University

Jimmy Yuan, an Actuarial Science student, is the recipient of the 2020 Adrian Gore Fellowship Award (AGF) offered by Discovery.

Yuan was among twenty top Actuarial Science Honours students from four universities who were vying for the fellowship, named after Discovery’s celebrated founder CEO and Witsie, Adrian Gore.

An aspiring actuary that hopes to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Witsie, Yuan aims to use his actuarial mind to design insurance solutions that are beneficial for all stakeholders. He says his chosen career will enable him to make meaningful contributions to society.

“I think actuaries will have a big role to play in the future by doing business in such a way that would encourage better health and safer behaviour of the people, and also contribute greatly to global issues such as a better environment and lower carbon emissions. I will be satisfied if I can help to build “win-win” systems. I think this will be an elegant solution to many problems facing humans,” he said.

Jimmy Yuan, Actuarial Science Honours student

The top academic achiever, who is currently completing his Honours degree, said he is elated to  have been awarded the fellowship, which will give him the opportunity to learn from industry leaders including Gore.

Through the fellowship, Yuan says he will “gain a good understanding of the insurance and financial services industry, and its underlying trends and philosophies.”

The Adrian Gore Fellowship was launched in 2013 and is awarded annually to the top actuarial science students selected from the four competing universities. The fellowship programme is designed to offer rapid career growth for the recipient within the actuarial science field.

As part of the award, Yuan has won R150 000 for his School. He will join Discovery next year and will be mentored by Gore through the Fellowship programme.

Head of the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Professor Stephen Jurisich said:

“The staff and fellow students in the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science are very proud of Jimmy, and the victory in the AGF caps a sterling academic performance throughout his years at Wits.”

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