APIW SCHOLARSHIPS
Giving Back to the Industry

Each year since 1987, APIW has awarded scholarships to worthy students at St. John’s University –
The School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science (formerly The College of Insurance).
In later years, these scholarships were given under the name “Lana James Memorial Scholarship,” in
honor of a dedicated APIW volunteer and Board Member who died prematurely in 1992.

Additional scholarships are also given on behalf of our Chicago Network to worthy students at The
Katie Insurance School of Insurance and Financial Services at Illinois State University.

The tragic events of September 11th brought about our desire to create a symbolic and encompassing
remembrance. We wished to honor all those within the APIW family who were lost that day and remember
those other members who lost their lives prematurely.

In their memory, APIW’s scholarships are now given under the name “APIW Memorial Scholarship” at St.
John’s University; and the “APIW Lana James Memorial Scholarship” at the Katie School of Insurance.

APIW 2020 Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Ally Nelson
Ally Nelson is a twenty-one-year-old who grew up on Long Island New York. She is a hardworking, dedicated young woman that when giving any task will give her all to be the best she can.

Ally is a rising senior at St John’s University, perusing a BA in Risk Management and an MBA in Enterprise Risk Management. Since her time at St. John’s she has grown her insurance industry knowledge from courses including Principles of Risk and Insurance, Probability, Theory of Interest, Corporate Finance, Financial Derivates, Management, Accounting, Computer Applications in Insurance, Reinsurance, and Commercial Liability Risk Management and Insurance. Her most recent internship was at Henry Schein Inc. as a risk management intern, during the year 2019. This internship, allowed her, hands-on experience analyzing data and displaying trends visually. Interning with Henry Schein Inc. gave her the skills to professionally communicate with colleges and company subsidiaries through email, telephone, and face to face. Along with her intern opportunity, she has had experience in retail, customer service, managerial position, and food handling since the age of sixteen. From these experiences, she has learned to efficiently manage her school and work life. While working with her employer, Mad Over Yogurt, she held a management position where she handled and reviewed payroll for all employees and conducted monthly employee evaluations. She was also responsible to oversee three of the locations under the same management. In the past year, she has gathered all her knowledge from work and school to start a small business with her longtime partner, called Luna Rose. Together they own and handle all business functions and productivity. She has learned the hard way that it is key to building a reputation for herself and her business to gain long-lasting customer relationships. As we build our foundation we go above and beyond for each of our customers and cherish every opportunity that comes our way. Besides working experience, she was given an amazing opportunity to work with the APIW Mentor Program, where she was paired with a female mentor in the industry to network and learn for her personal experience. Ally is eager to learn and experiment in diverse roles within the industry, this shows through her attendance at office visits at companies including Travelers Insurance, WKFC Underwriters, and AIG.

APIW 2020 Lana James Memorial Scholarship Recipient
Katelynn Pankhurst

Katelynn Pankhurst will be a senior at the Katie School of Insurance and Risk Management at Illinois State University majoring in Risk Management/Insurance and Finance with a 4.0 GPA.  She has interned at COUNTRY Financial as a Commercial Underwriting Intern during the school year, and she was one of 21 students selected nationwide to participate in the WSIA Internship for the summer.  The Katie School chose Katelynn as one of the two students to intern at Lloyd’s of London this summer in the Katie School International Internship Program.  Both internships have been postponed for a later date.

In addition to excelling in the classroom, Katelynn is quite active in student organizations, and she holds various leadership roles.  She is currently Vice President of Gamma Iota Sigma and will continue in this position next year, Risk Management Chair of Alpha Kappa Psi, and a Mentor for our Business Week program. Additionally, she is pursuing her CPCU designation.  Katelynn was the industry panel moderator for the inaugural “The Power of An Inclusive Workforce” event held in early spring 2020 on the Illinois State campus which attracted over 200 students from across campus and industry partners, and she was very well received.