Area of study: Mathematics
Graduation year: 2018
Who is your employer, and where are they located?
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies in Omaha NE.
What is your job title and what kind of work does it involve?
My job title is Financial Analyst. My role in part involves statistical data reporting to states and other regulatory bodies as it pertains to Workers' Compensation Insurance. Aside from that, my role involves ensuring existing financial guardrails/infrastructure remains viable and in-line with the direction the company is moving, and building out new infrastructure as needed.
What sparked your interest in your area of study?
Math was always my strongest subject, and in high school I had an excellent Calculus teacher who really inspired me to pursue further education in math, as well as helping me find and apply for scholarship/funding.
What do you see as the value of your major or CAS degree?
Math at its core teaches one to apply logic, usually in the context of a problem from a textbook, however this skill can be extrapolated to all aspects of life. Studying/teaching math also taught me that many problems can be approached in different ways, which is always a valuable skill.
Were there any other people, activities, or events from your time at UNL that helped you get to where you are now?
I like learning for the sake of learning, and didn't really know what I had wanted to do after graduation. My advisors, Dr. Petronela Radu and Dr. Alex Zupan were instrumental in challenging me, and helping me succeed where I struggled. I also went to Montana State University because Dr. Zupan had a friend who worked there, and after applying and touring the campus it was a great fit that I wouldn't have found without that connection.
Tell us about the path you took to get to where you are today in your career and how you applied your education to get here.
After I graduated UNL in 2018 with a B.S. in Mathematics, I moved to Bozeman Montana to study Mathematics in a graduate program. In 2020, I graduated with a M.S. in Mathematics and moved back to Lincoln where I taught College Algebra and Intro to Statistics at Nebraska Wesleyan University for a couple semesters. While I enjoyed teaching, I didn't think that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I found a Financial Analyst role at Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies (a group of insurance companies under the Berkshire Hathaway umbrella). The ability to apply logic and dissect a problem, developed during my studies, played a significant factor in my hiring.
