NextGen Risk: Team Profile | University of Lethbridge

Sedera Rasiliarizaka

I don’t have an insurance background here. I major as an accountant, same as Yna.

I like the perspective of risk. As I went to university, I worked as a credit coordinator. Risk is what we do, basically.

I wanted to broaden my horizon, basically, so that’s how I stumbled upon credit. I thought, ‘I’m an accounting major, how did I get into credit? Since I know how to do credit, maybe I can do something else?’ So then I thought, ‘Okay, insurance — let’s try it.’

As far as I I’m concerned, my only experience with insurance is hitting a car and then having to call the insurance after that.

I remember when I got my first car. I was applying for insurance and I thought, ‘Okay, what’s the cheapest thing that I can buy?’ That was my only concern, right there.

But then later, someone actually scratched my car downtown, which was unfortunate, but the thing is, that wasn’t covered. So, vandalism wasn’t covered because I didn’t want to pay for the additional $10 and I didn’t want to read the clause [in my insurance policy]. So now I have to drive the car with some scratched-up doors, which is not fun, but it teaches you a lot about insurance.

The hidden structure behind insurance is definitely worth to know, even if you’re not going to [work for] an insurance carrier.

Yna Felisa Montanez

I’m in accounting. It’s technically my last semester. I did graduate back home in the Philippines. A lot of my peers from back home are actually insurance agents, so I’m kind of curious about how this works, even if I don’t have insurance in my curriculum.

Preparing for the case is giving me other perspectives on how we live here in Canada. Some of the [insurance policy clauses] may be identifiable only to here in Canada because of the winter conditions. You guys don’t experience earthquakes that much compared to ours.

It also gives me perspectives on how we live here in Canada and what to look for in a house you’re renting. For example, our housemates upstairs were once in charge of cleaning out the furnace filter and it did emit a strong odor. It’s good to know what will destroy your house if you don’t take the proper precautions.

So, it’s good to be a risk advisor. If I will be doing insurance, it pays to help people who are paying for this service. Because sometimes [clients] don’t really read their contracts, especially if it’s a very long one. It’s just, ‘Sign here, and here..’ It would be good to be a good [insurance] advisor to the people who don’t necessarily have the time to learn.

Unavailable for an interview: Niyat Thapa, Keshaben Gosai, Carolyn Scissons (Advisor)