Winners of the CICA College Student Essay Contest revealed

Temple University seniors Matia Daskalos and Vincent Palmieri received first place honors in the 2021-2022 Captive Insurance Companies Association (CICA) College Student Essay Contest “Using Captive Insurance Solutions to Address Coverage Gaps,” sponsored by Strategic Risk Solutions.

The winner was announced during the opening session of the CICA 2022 International Conference at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa.

Second place went to Connor Thomson and Nicholas Vagnozzi of Sant Joseph’s University and third place to Katie Strohl and Blake Babec of Butler University.

“We are always pleased to see the bright and talented students who enter the competition. Their commitment to tackle a new challenge and develop a broader knowledge of insurance solutions gives them a leg-up on managing an organization’s risks,” said CICA president Dan Towle. “Students tell us they enjoy learning about the complexities of captive insurance and how captives can provide solutions that might not otherwise be available.”

Brady Young, CEO Strategic Risk Solutions, added: “We are pleased to sponsor this initiative. It spreads the word about how great the captive industry is in terms of being an interesting place to work and providing fantastic growth opportunities for bright, motivated individuals. We hope this will help generate long-term interest in working in our industry and help supplement the captive industry’s needs as the current generation of leaders retire,” he added.

Daskalos and Palmieri, both actuarial science majors, say researching and developing their case study helped them see the critical analysis and in-depth problem solving used in developing captive insurance programs and that captives offers opportunities to develop creative solutions for many industries.