Graduate Profiles

Janet Curran

I graduated from Providence College in 2006 with a degree in Humanities/International Studies and a minor in French.  Having spent a semester studying in Paris, and focusing on "humanities" courses at Providence, I hoped to join a program such as TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) to teach language abroad.  To learn more about such opportunities, I scheduled an appointment with PC's career services.

During the meeting, I was asked if I might consider a job in business, reinsurance in particular.  The counselor explained that there was a unique position which Aspen Re was offering for the first time in the US.  I had never heard of reinsurance and was skeptical about whether employment in the business sector was meant for me as I had not taken any business courses in school.  Moreover, I had interned in the patient accounts department of a hospital where I coordinated the patient benefit procedures with health insurance companies, an experience which I found to be singularly unappealing.  The counselor pressed on, however, explaining the concept of reinsurance and the details of the graduate position.  By the end of the meeting, I had an application.

The individuals that I met during my interviews at the Rocky Hill office immediately prompted me to reexamine my assumptions and expectations for the future.  I was surprised to be introduced to so many people in the initial interview process; everyone I met was warm, friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy both their job and one another—a combination that is indeed a rare occurrence these days.

The benefits of Aspen's induction program in the London office were twofold: the three week training gave the graduates a broad understanding of the various units that make up the company as well as provided an opportunity for the graduates to become well acquainted with one another.

For the past year, I've been working primarily with one of the Vice Presidents of the Property Treaty Underwriting team in Rocky Hill.  As this has been the first year that Rocky Hill has hired graduates, it has been a learning experience for our whole team.  The graduate trainee position is indeed unique in its multi-faceted nature.  On a given day, I might be reading a submission, running a computer model, attending a seminar, traveling to meet brokers and clients, or studying for a designation exam.  For someone who initially had no particular interest in working in the business world, Aspen's graduate trainee position has enabled me to be involved in a job which has both broadened my interests and allowed me to utilize my analytical and communication skills in a very supportive and team-oriented environment.