Resan Pakeerah becomes first UWI St Augustine graduate to join prestigious UK actuarial institute
If anyone is pursuing a particular goal while facing setbacks on their journey, UWI St Augustine Department of Mathematics and Statistics (DMS) alum Resan Pakeerah is calling on them to remain dedicated and persistent in their pursuit of success.
Pakeerah gave words of encouragement as he spoke during a recognition ceremony, held on March 19, to celebrate his achievement of becoming the first UWI St Augustine graduate to qualify as a fellow of the prestigious Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) in the UK.
Organised by the UWI Actuarial Sciences Club in collaboration with the DMS, the ceremony was held at the Main Salon of the Office of the Campus Principal.
The IFoA was founded in 2010 and has over 32,000 members worldwide. Becoming a fellow of the institute is no easy task. Pakeerah shared that the journey took over two years, and he had to write the final exam five times.
“I was not the toughest exam taker, and [writing the exams] was frustrating, discouraging, and at times, I wondered if I was really cut out for it,’ he told those in attendance. “But with each step that I took, it was just a step up and it’s important to remember that everyone's path is different.”
He added, “For many of us, we have to be resilient, and the actuarial profession demands resilience.”
He also recognised the family, friends, and UWI lecturers that contributed to his success before giving a message of encouragement.
“Wherever you are on your journey,” he said, “know that success is within your reach. It might take more time than you'd like, but if you keep pushing forward, I want to send my love to you.”
Stokeley Smart, Co-ordinator of the UWI St Augustine Actuarial Science programme, delivered both personal and prepared remarks on behalf of UWI Campus Principal Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine.
“Even though not every one of the [actuarial science] programme’s graduates will go on to become a fellow, data show that our graduates are doing quite well,” he said. “We have an estimated 87 percent of graduates in postgraduate programmes or gainfully employed at over 70 different organisations, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but countries around the world.”
Pakeerah now joins Toni-Marie Bobart in becoming a graduate of the DMS who went on to attain membership in prestigious actuarial societies. In 2021, Bobart became the first UWI St Augustine graduate to become a fellow of the United States’ Society of Actuaries (SOA).
Currently, Smart said several students and alumni of the Actuarial Science programme are in the process of writing exams to either become associates or fellows of the SOA and IFoA.
He highlighted former President of the UWI Actuarial Science Club Nathaneal Gomes, who is writing exams to become a fellow of the SOA, and has achieved several perfect scores to date, a rare feat.
Smart said, “To whom much is given, much is expected. We are given the brightest and best math students in the actuarial science programme, and Resan’s accomplishment is an objective metric of the high expectations that we have for our graduates.”
