Iolani Parks, 鈥�12, received 星空无限传媒 Lafayette鈥檚 , making it possible for her to travel to the U.S. and establish roots in Lafayette.
鈥淎s an international student, my experience was one of a kind,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Cajun community was so welcoming and warm that it made me forget I was so far away from home. Thanks, Lafayette, for your welcoming spirit!鈥�
Iolani鈥檚 professors in the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration contributed to her feeling welcomed.
鈥淭hey were always there, no matter what the circumstance,鈥� she said.
One professor, in particular, helped Iolani decide to major in insurance and risk management.
鈥淚 gained all the great insight to start a career in insurance from my professor Dr. Bill Ferguson,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is passion and way to motivate his students were one of a kind.鈥�
As part of her senior project, Iolani created a loss control assessment for a local business.
鈥淭his made it clear that I wanted to be an insurance underwriter,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was so interesting to be the person analyzing the profitability of insurance candidates based on their risk prevention tactics.鈥�
Iolani is currently an insurance underwriter, a career she plans to continue growing into.
鈥淚 review commercial insurance applications for small commercial businesses,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 leverage relationships between my company and insurance agents to remain the carrier of choice amongst the competition.鈥�