Bowie State Students Gain Industry Insights at RISKWORLD 2025

Annual risk management conference connects students with global leaders, emerging trends, and career opportunities

Four Bowie State University insurance and risk management students joined more than 11,000 professionals from over 70 countries in Chicago for RISKWORLD 2025, the world’s largest risk management conference. The event offered an unparalleled opportunity for students to engage with industry leaders, explore innovative technologies, and build professional networks that could shape their future careers. 

A central theme of this year’s conference focused on how risk managers can better leverage data and analytics to improve property risk profiles and secure favorable insurance terms. 

“It is absolutely imperative that our students are exposed to the current challenges and opportunities in the risk management industry,” said William Roberts, a conference presenter and executive director of the Maguire Academy of Insurance and Risk Management at Bowie State. “According to Zippia, there are 14,381 risk managers employed in the United States and that number is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years.” 

Students participated in workshops, networked with peers from other universities, and met representatives from some of the world’s largest risk management firms. They also explored how risk management principles apply to finance, healthcare, insurance, and other industries. 

“I enjoyed the conference and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to engage with risk management professionals from around the world,” said Michel’e Rice, a rising senior in the insurance and risk management program. “This experience provided me with valuable insights into emerging trends, innovative technologies and industry best practices.” 

“RISKWORLD is produced by the Risk & Insurance Management Society (RIMS),” said Roberts. “Bowie State University is an institutional member of RIMS and the students who attended the conference are now annual members.” 

“The conference was an extremely immersive and enlightening experience,” said Runor Agarin, also an insurance and risk management student. “It opened my eyes to the depth of the insurance industry and gave me a means of making valuable connections with professionals and fellow HBCU students. I look forward to taking advantage of the resources and opportunities provided at RIMS.”