Tell us about yourself.
I graduated from Gustavus in 2012 with a double major in Mathematics and Economics. I’ve been working as an actuary for about four years now at Securian Financial Group in St. Paul. I recently completed the actuarial exam track and obtained my FSA (Fellow of the Society of Actuaries) designation. My main responsibilities at Securian are pricing and reserving for group life insurance. In terms of my personal life, I’ve been happily married now for about two and a half years to my college sweetheart (we met in the same Gustie Greeter group). My wife, Kelly Swenson (formerly Kelly Maloney), completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy a year ago at St. Kates and now works as a PT at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. We recently bought our first house in Inver Grove Heights, MN, and we’re enjoying setting down roots in the Twin Cities.
How did the MCS department help you get where you are today?
In terms of specific classes, the two semester course on probability and statistics helped prepare me for the first actuarial exam, focused on probability. Even though my other Gustavus math classes weren’t directly applicable to the other exams, they helped me develop my analytical and technical skills that got me through the actuarial exams and that I use in my job on a daily basis.
What is your favorite memory or memories of the MCS department?
My favorite memory was having a nerf gun war jointly hosted by the MCS & Physics club in Olin Hall. We had around 50 people (at least) running around all of the floors, having a blast for hours. It was the perfect study break!
Thanks for the update Matthew, and congratulations on passing your latest certification. It’s good to hear from you.
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