Name: Samantha Zelling
Major: Actuarial Science
Hometown: Grapevine, Texas
Internship: Long-term care actuarial intern, CNA Insurance (Chicago)
As an actuarial science major with an interest in the life insurance industry, Samantha Zelling, class of 2026, had always wanted to be an intern within the field.
But, she says, she had a specific role in mind.
“As I learned more and more about the industry, I discovered that I really wanted to be a long-term care (LTC) actuarial intern, but the opportunity never arose,” Zelling explains.
“Fortunately, when I reached out to a firm that I had previously talked to about an LTC actuarial intern, they had an opening. So they encouraged me to pursue the role and it worked out!”
This fall semester, Zelling returns to the Fox School of Business after completing her internship goal as a LTC actuarial intern with CNA Insurance in Chicago.
“The Fox School does a great job at preparing you for these internship experiences.”
The Grapevine, Texas, native now begins her senior year more motivated than ever.
“My experience with CNA really solidified my choice to be an actuarial science major and pursue this career path, so I’m very driven to make my senior year one that I enjoy and prepares me for success come graduation next May,” Zelling says.
Her internship tasks included data collection, entry and management. She also completed a project around a new method to explore and improve rates relating to incidence seasonality, a metric within the insurance industry relating to claim occurrences.
When it came to overseeing data, Zelling was pleased to find her Fox School education had prepared her well.
“One of the primary data applications we used for numbers analysis is Tableau, which I was taught how to use in my Honors Turning Numbers into Knowledge: Visualizing Data course (BA 2951),” Zelling says.
Samantha Zelling spent her summer in Chicago through her internship with CNA Insurance.
Photo courtesy of Samantha Zelling
Zelling says she enjoyed spending time in Chicago and hopes to be going back soon.
“I had a fantastic experience with CNA and have had conversations about joining their firm beyond graduation, which I would love to come to fruition,” Zelling says.
“This internship was great in many ways—not only did I gain critical field exposure, but it also improved my ability to think outside the box and be better at problem solving and communication in a professional environment.”
On the heels of her successful summer, she has advice for those looking to do the same.
“The Fox School does a great job at preparing you for these internship experiences,” Zelling says.
“My best advice for students would be to go to your respective majors’ career fair and talk to the employers that visit—that is how I got my first summer college internship.”