"Invest congratulates the students — representing 13 schools — who earned scholarships this year," said Lindsey Shank, Invest board chair and operations manager at Hull & Co., in a release. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The nonprofit Invest, a classroom-to-career education program for the insurance industry, announced it awarded $29,500 in scholarships to 22 students pursuing insurance-related degrees.

In affiliation with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, Invest works in high school and college classrooms across the U.S. to educate, train, and attract the next generation of insurance professionals.

"Independent agents and brokers shouldn't leave recruiting to chance. They should be intentional," Peter van Aartrijk, Invest board member and principal of Aartrijk, told PropertyCasualty360. "They need every generation of workers represented in their firms, especially at sales and service level positions where customers tend to prefer interacting with people plus or minus five years of their age.

"Invest has been building a pipeline of talented recruits, and it's up to insurance professionals to embrace them, mentor them, and challenge them. The next generation also can reverse-mentor older workers in the agency with knowledge and comfort about new technologies, for example. And, if you're an owner looking to sell, merge, or partner in the next five to 10 years — as so many are — keeping your talent strong is an excellent way to prepare for the future and create more value."

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Scholarship recipients

To apply for the 200 scholarships, students from around the U.S. submitted essays detailing how Invest influenced their educational plans. The applicants also answered questions about a real-world insurance case study.

Invest board member judges selected recipients based on the quality of their essays as well as their grade-point averages and extracurricular activities. The scholarship checks, which were funded through corporate and direct contributions, will be mailed directly to each student's institute of higher education to be used for educational expenses.

The 2020 scholarship winners from Florida, New York, California, Ohio, Connecticut and Pennsylvania include:

Invest High School Scholarships:
KirstenClayVan Wert High SchoolOhio
SarahKaufmanMarjory Stoneman DouglasFla.
LaurenMcGeeHamburg High SchoolN.Y.
JohnHabermanHamburg High SchoolN.Y.
MadelineFerroHamburg High SchoolN.Y.
HannahLevineMarjory Stoneman DouglasFla.
ThomasNguyenWilliam R. Boone High SchoolFla.
JessicaWainlandMarjory Stoneman DouglasFla.
ZacharyRooseLake Brantley High SchoolFla.
BrianKellyWilliam R. Boone High SchoolFla.
StevenJordanWilliam R. Boone High SchoolFla.
RachelNattisMarjory Stoneman DouglasFla.
SydneyKannerHamburg High SchoolN.Y.
 
Classroom-to-Career Scholarships:
ChristopherPartridgeGrossmont CollegeCalif.
NathanLintonHamburg High SchoolN.Y.
Second Round Scholarships:
AndreaAldermanUniversity of FloridaFla.
BraydenCoxOhio State University at LimaOhio
Da'juaQuartermanSt. Petersburg CollegeFla.
KatherineLeyonmarkAllegheny CollegePenn.
NishkaAhujaCarnegie Mellon UniversityPenn.
RyanFranzeseUniversity of New HavenConn.
ThomasRiffaudFlorida Polytechnic UniversityFla.

Related: 

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Heather A. Turner

Heather A. Turner is the managing editor of ALM's NU Property & Casualty Group. She can be reached at [email protected].