Iolani Parks, ’12, received UL Lafayette’s Cayenne International Transfer Student Scholarship, making it possible for her to travel to the U.S. and establish roots in Lafayette.
“As an international student, my experience was one of a kind,” she said. “The Cajun community was so welcoming and warm that it made me forget I was so far away from home. Thanks, Lafayette, for your welcoming spirit!”
Iolani’s professors in the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration contributed to her feeling welcomed.
“They were always there, no matter what the circumstance,” she said.
One professor, in particular, helped Iolani decide to major in insurance and risk management.
“I gained all the great insight to start a career in insurance from my professor Dr. Bill Ferguson,” she said. “His passion and way to motivate his students were one of a kind.”
As part of her senior project, Iolani created a loss control assessment for a local business.
“This made it clear that I wanted to be an insurance underwriter,” she said. “It was so interesting to be the person analyzing the profitability of insurance candidates based on their risk prevention tactics.”
Iolani is currently an insurance underwriter, a career she plans to continue growing into.
“I review commercial insurance applications for small commercial businesses,” she said. “I leverage relationships between my company and insurance agents to remain the carrier of choice amongst the competition.”
