Emanuel "Jim" James Stergiou, FCAS, MAAA

I chose to attend the City College of New York because it had a great reputation and it was tuition-free. I got two regional scholarships. One was the regular regional scholarship, and the other I got was because I was the son of a disabled veteran from World War II. I was majoring in math with a minor in computer science and education. I was going to be a teacher. As I was finishing up my junior year, I went to the placement office and said, 'I spent the last five summers as a day-camp counselor. Do you have any summer jobs that deal with mathematics?' He asked if I ever thought about becoming an actuary. They recommended that I go interview with an outfit called Insurance Services Office. They employed a lot of actuaries. I interviewed with them, and they gave me the actuarial aptitude test. They hired me for the summer, and I became an actuary. I started my own actuarial firm in 1980, and I contributed money every year to CCNY to provide scholarships for kids. Whenever I made a speech on behalf of the city, I always said three things: 'Remember where you came from, always praise and remember those who helped you on the way up, and once you get to your goal, try to give back as much as possible.'