When actuarial science major Katie Johnson was recognized as a State Farm Scholar during her freshman year, she could hardly contain her excitement. The scholarship reflected Johnson’s commitment to education and engagement on campus.
Johnson is involved in Illinois State’s Actuarial Club and Gamma Iota Sigma, a business and insurance fraternity. Event attendance and frequent networking helped Johnson complete her Certificate of Leadership and Business Acumen through the Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management in just one year. A first-place finish in the Katie School’s Tableau Business Analytics Competition sealed the deal.
Johnson makes time for non-actuarial pursuits, too. The Watertown, Wisconsin, native educates the public about service dogs through the group Indy-pendence Service Dogs and performs environmental advocacy with the Student Environmental Action Coalition.
Johnson’s involvement on campus and in the local community is a direct result of the scholarship she received. “I am able to focus completely on my academic course work,” she said. “It also gives me a bit more time to be involved with events on campus.”
Johnson’s involvement and dedication also gave her the edge she needed to pass her first actuarial exam, Exam FM/2.
To her scholarship donors, Johnson said: “I am so thoroughly enjoying my time at ISU, in part because you have provided me with such financial security that I need not worry about funding my education. Thank you for giving me these gifts of a scholarship and belief in my future endeavors. It means more to me than you know.”
