Yi Ru, ’18: Masters in Actuarial Science

In just four years, Yi Ru attained her bachelor’s and master’s in actuarial science. She also achieved the difficult goal of passing five national actuarial exams required for certification by the Society of Actuaries. That determination led to landing a full-time job before graduation.

Ru began an internship at Reinsurance Group of America (RGA) just after her freshman year and became a fulltime employee as the senior actuarial assistant in global valuation at RGA in January 2017.

Along with her academic and career success, Ru also achieved a personal goal when she tossed her name into the hat to become an officer of the Actuarial Science Club. Ru had wanted to become more involved with the club for some time but was too shy to join right away.

Coming to Maryville and starting college was definitely new for me, but the transition overall was very smooth.

“I was not the person who likes to speak in front of a lot of people or present myself and ask for votes, but I managed it and was elected as a graduate advisor,” says Ru.

Serving as an officer of the club helped her improve her communication skills and gave her more confidence.

“I’m glad that I made that decision and finally became brave enough to do it,” she says.

That wasn’t the first time Ru made an adjustment. Ru came to St. Louis from China when she was 15 years old. She graduated from high school and then powered her way through Maryville.

“Coming to Maryville and starting college was definitely new for me, but the transition overall was very smooth,” says Ru. “Maryville has great first-year support for student life and academics, so I wasn’t having any trouble with this.”

Ru views her job at RGA as a lifelong learning opportunity.

“I was very happy when I was given the offer after the interview,” says Ru. “I feel that everything has paid off, and I need to work harder and learn more.”