North Central College names inclusion advocate Veronica Ramming ‘19 as Lincoln Laureate

If Veronica Ramming ’19 passes her fifth actuarial exam while still in college, she will be the first student in North Central College’s history to accomplish such a feat, though she admits she doesn’t think she will be the last.

In recognition of her strong academic background as well as her success in making actuarial science more inclusive, she was selected as North Central’s 2018 Lincoln Laureate recipient.

The Lincoln Laureate award recognizes top students from institutions across the state of Illinois. They receive a Student Laureate medallion and a $1,000 educational grant. Faculty nominated Ramming for her dedication to every aspect of her college career from academics to athletics to co-curricular involvement.

She joined the Actuarial Science Club in her first year at North Central, and is now acting as president.

“I'll never forget walking in the first Actuarial Science Club meeting and seeing only two other women in the room,” said Ramming. “We figured out that if we want to be inclusive, we need a strong community and good role models.”

“The North Central actuarial program is now one of the few programs in the country where the majority of students are not males,” said Marco Martinez, assistant professor of mathematics and coordinator of the actuarial science program. “This accomplishment is in no small part due to the time Veronica has invested in creating a welcoming, diverse and inclusive community in our program.”

A resident expert on the actuarial exams, Ramming hosts workshops for club members on how to pass them as well as how to land an internship while still in school.

She knows just how important an internship can be, and recently finished her third this past summer.

“My last internship was with Aon doing pension and retirement consulting,” said Ramming. “It was a challenging internship with a wide variety of projects and concepts I had to learn, but I loved it. I've always liked a challenge and this experience allowed me to learn beyond the classroom.”

Ramming will rejoin Aon after graduating, having accepted a full time offer to work in their retirement counseling division.

Ramming has made the dean’s list each term since arriving at North Central, but her accomplishments don’t end in the classroom. She competes in the high jump on the women’s track and field team, and she has scored at every conference meet so far. She has achieved Academic All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin status the past three years.

“I didn't do any of this by myself,” said Ramming. “I had the encouragement of professors, coaches and my friends and family along the way that made the biggest difference. Knowing that my professors wanted me to be successful made me want to do even better.”