Granby High School Student Receives InVEST Scholarship

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 30 -- Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America issued the following news release:

InVEST, the insurance industry's premier classroom to career education program, has awarded a $500 scholarship to Melissa Biro from Granby High School in Norfolk, Va.

"InVEST congratulates Melissa Brio who is among the 65 students from the across the country earning scholarships this year," says Heather Minkler, chair of the National InVEST board of directors and CEO of Clark-Mortenson Agency, an independent insurance agency in Keene, N.H. "InVEST continues to grow and, with the support from the industry, provides education to more than 14,000 students each school year. Graduates from more than 400 InVEST programs across the country are now armed with knowledge to help them pursue careers in an agency, company or other insurance industry organization."

InVEST contributes to the development of future insurance professionals by educating high school and college students about insurance, risk management and financial services. In high schools, the program offers students a business curriculum which teaches them about the dynamics of insurance agencies and companies. At the college level, the program develops students' risk management and financial analysis skills. Along with direct contributions, scholarships are funded through proceeds generated by the InVEST auctions and Young Agents YAC Gives Back event held in conjunction with the Independent Insurance Agents & Broker's (IIABA or the Big "I") Legislative Conference.

"Continuing success of the InVEST program is critical not only to the future of the independent agency system, but to the insurance industry as a whole and to increasing the financial literacy of our young people," says Robert Rusbuldt, Big "I" president & CEO. "Many are concerned that the average age of an insurance professional is around 54, and as baby boomers retire, the InVEST program has the potential to replenish our workforce at this crucial time."

Nationally, this year InVEST awarded $70,500 in scholarships to 65 college-bound students pursuing insurance-related degrees. The 2013 scholarship winners hail from California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and Virginia. This year, 94 scholarship hopefuls from across the country submitted essays.

Click HERE for a complete list of scholarship winners. (http://www.independentagent.com/News/PressReleases/Pages/2013/IN06262013_Scholarships.aspx)

As a 501(c)(3) educational trust, InVEST benefits from the support of numerous insurance organizations, hundreds of agencies, brokers and volunteers. The program provides the insurance industry with motivated, talented and intelligent professionals through a support structure of state associations, board members, national staff, teachers and the many industry professionals who work in the field as classroom liaisons.

Founded in 1970 and based in Alexandria, Va., InVEST promotes insurance education in order to attract individuals to pursue a career in the insurance industry. Each year, the program prepares thousands of students for insurance-related careers with a hands-on curriculum taught in high schools, adult education centers and colleges. The high school curriculum is a business-education program that utilizes a hands-on approach which simulates an insurance agency and company operations to prepare students for various business careers and create more knowledgeable insurance consumers. At the college level, InVEST is an information-intensive curriculum of risk management and financial services. These courses provide students with a working knowledge of the basics needed to pursue careers in the insurance industry. For more information, go to www.investprogram.org.

Founded in 1896, the Big "I" is the nation's oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of approximately a quarter of a million agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance--property, casualty, life, health, employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.

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