The Joy of Giving Back

Childhood dreams have a funny way of resurfacing, don’t they? As a youngster, the allure of journalism captivated me, but practicality steered me toward a more lucrative and stable career path. Still, that dormant passion for storytelling never quite faded.

Now imagine my exhilaration when an invitation to join the editorial board of The Actuary Canada landed in my lap! It was as if fate had winked at my long-forgotten ambition. But the story doesn’t end there. A mere 18 months later, I found myself at the helm of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) Marketing and Distribution Section podcast, helping to craft monthly content that satiated my journalistic appetite.

Thanks to these invaluable volunteering opportunities with the SOA, I am now proudly donning the hat of a “part-time journalist;” a delightful plot twist in my professional narrative. And here’s the kicker: My experience is just one thread in a tapestry of success stories woven by SOA volunteers.

For this Q&A-based article on volunteering, I am joined by Paula Hodges, vice president and actuary at Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. in Lincoln, Nebraska. She manages the in-force life and annuity blocks of business, including product reviews, dividend redeterminations, non-guaranteed elements and reinsurance administration aspects of those product lines.

Paula has been an active volunteer. She currently serves as the SOA’s External Examiner for the University Earned Credit (UEC) program at the University of Nebraska and as a facilitator for the Fellowship Admissions Course (FAC). Previously, she served on the SOA’s Board of Directors, chaired the Nominating Committee and served on Section Councils.

How did your SOA volunteer journey begin, and what has it meant to you?

Paula: I was a computer science and math major who pursued actuarial science as a career on my own. I was with a company that knew me as an IT person, but I wanted to be an actuary and was doing actuarial exams at that time. I felt my skills were a bit peculiar when working with my actuarial colleagues; it was when I reached out to the SOA’s Technology Section (now part of the Emerging Topic Community) that I realized there were people like me. Later, I became the chair of the Technology Section. It is important to find something that’s interesting to you and you’ll find friends. Through my volunteering experiences with SOA, I have made professional connections as well as personal friends.

What is one of your favorite volunteer experiences?

Paula: Volunteering for FAC (Fellowship Admission Course) has always been fun. It has always been great seeing the new FSAs celebrating and their enthusiasm. I go about every other year and I’m hoping to go this year.

How do you think volunteering with SOA has helped your career?

Paula: I’ve been a moderator at SOA meeting sessions, and I learn a lot from preparing for those sessions because the panelists and speakers there are subject matter experts, and I had a front seat in terms of asking questions. In the early part of your career, you feel like asking questions makes you seem to lack knowledge, but really, throughout my career, I’ve discovered that the most knowledgeable and insightful people ask the most questions. They don’t make assumptions about what they really know. If you don’t ask questions, you will fill your head with uncertainty. It is important to find perspectives as well as facts.

SOA offers several volunteering opportunities for its members and interested individuals including exam writing and grading, research committees, presenting at SOA meetings and seminars, developing content for continuing education, various task forces focused on specific issues or projects, and so on. I would suggest visiting the SOA’s volunteer page for more details.

In Closing

I’d like to conclude the article with a volunteer-inspiring quote from International Tennis Hall of Famer Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries or the respective authors’ employers.

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