Discover Fox

“My dad is an actuary and a brilliant mathematician—but anytime he tried to explain to me as a kid what an actuary does, I never got it,” Nwokoma said with a chuckle.

“In high school, I was ready to pursue a business degree in college, but I was always good at and fell in love with math and statistics—the more I explored what an actuary is, I realized it is a perfect blend of both my professional interests.”

So, ready to pursue an actuarial science education, she just needed to find the school to do it. She quickly realized Temple University’s Fox School of Business would be the perfect place.

From Germantown, MD, Nwokoma was first drawn to the Fox School’s actuarial science program for its impressive credentials, including its designation as a “Center of Actuarial Excellence” by the Society of Actuaries.

Through utilizing the program to gain an in-depth education into the subject, while bolstering her student resume with key extracurricular involvements and internships, she’s positioned herself successfully to embark into her career.

Early on, she quickly found classroom success at Fox and searched for extracurricular opportunities to expand her educational efforts.

It was one of the best decisions she could make.

“I joined Gamma Iota Sigma (the Fox School’s risk management and insurance and actuarial science student professional organization (SPO)) the beginning of my freshman year,” Nwokoma said.

“I am so happy I did because, whether it was through the education I gained, the connections I made or the confidence being a part of the SPO gave me, it was my most impactful experience I had as a student.”

In addition to serving as the vice president of professional development for Gamma Iota Sigma, Nwokoma’s other student leadership opportunities included serving as a peer advisor for the Fox School’s Honors Program and as treasurer for Temple’s Queer Student Union.

Excelling in the classroom was a pillar of her experience at Fox—and those efforts were recognized. Nwokoma was awarded the Nancy Barrett Baglini Memorial Award for Professionalism and Ethics by Fox’s department of actuarial science and risk management shortly before graduation.

“After four years of hard work and dedication, I was thrilled to be recognized by my professors and peers with the award,” she said.

“Receiving the award is easily one of my favorite memories from Temple—I’m so grateful to Temple, the Fox School and the department for helping me shape into the person I’ve become.”

As she built her resume on campus, she did so off campus, too. Her tenure as a Temple student saw her completing an impressive list of actuarial internships throughout the region. In addition to interning with Principal Financial Group in summer 2025, she interned with Optum in New York City in summer 2023, Segal Group in fall 2023, Cigna in Philadelphia in summer 2024 and Venerable in West Chester, PA, in spring 2025.

And, if she wasn’t already busy enough as she progressed as a student, she decided to add a second major to her academic studies, too. She became a risk management and insurance major in her junior year because she wanted to better understand the business side of the insurance industry.

Ready for graduation and equipped with education, confidence and industry experience, her hard work has paid off: she’s accepted a full-time role with Cigna to serve as a senior actuarial analyst. In addition, she will also be a student within the company’s actuarial executive leadership development program to obtain a fellowship from the Society of Actuaries.

Fortunately for her, she’s also not going to have to go anywhere from the city she’s fallen in love with: her full-time role takes place in Philadelphia.

“Not only did I love the educational experience I had at Fox, but growing up in a Maryland suburb, I’ve come to deeply love Philadelphia,” Nwokoma said.

“Outside of the memories I built on campus, walking into the city, trying different restaurants, exploring different neighborhoods and trying new activities are some of my favorite things that I did during my free time as a student.

“I’m very grateful to be starting my career here and staying by the institution that helped me get to this point.”