2026-2027 WSIA Education Foundation Derek Hughes Scholarship Program

Thank you for your interest in the WSIA Education Foundation's Derek Hughes Scholarship Program.

Established in 1998, this program supports undergraduate students pursuing an insurance or business-related program of study. The purpose of the scholarship program is to further the study of insurance and encourage, support, and reward those exceptional students who have an interest in an insurance career and specifically in the surplus lines industry. The program is named for Derek Hughes, to honor his contributions to the surplus line industry and the Foundation.

Up to 30 $5,000 scholarships will be awarded: $2,500 for Fall 2026 and $2,500 for Spring 2027 for students pursuing an undergraduate degree. Additional benefits to scholarship recipients:

• $250 for completion of the Surplus Lines Fundamentals online course.

• Support to attend a WSIA Education Foundation symposium that includes free registration, overnight hotel cost, and up to a $400 travel stipend.

• Resume shared with WSIA members.

• Opportunity to sign up for webinars offered through WSIA. 

To be eligible for this scholarship, students must meet the following requirements:

• Have an overall GPA of 3.0 or a major GPA of 3.25 or higher (both on a 4.0 scale);

• Be a current college sophomore, junior, or senior enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program and not graduating before Fall 2026 (Note: Graduate students are not eligible. If you graduate in Fall 2026 and are awarded a scholarship, the amount would be $2,500 for the Fall semester only.);

• Satisfy one of the following requirements: be pursuing a major, minor, or concentration in Risk Management and/or Insurance (RMI); or have taken RMI courses; or have work experience in the insurance industry.

• Plan to pursue a position in the wholesale, specialty, and surplus lines industry upon graduation.

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. and will not now or in the future require sponsorship for an employment-based visa status.

• Will not be a 2026 WSIA intern, which already includes a $5,000 scholarship.

Documents

Besides completing the basic application, you are asked to have the following two documents prepared to upload at the end of this application (saved as PDF documents):

1. Resume

2. Unofficial Transcripts

(Note: A letter of recommendation is no longer required.)

Short Essay

You will also be asked to enter your response to just one of the following two questions, with a word limit of no more than 500 words:

1. How do you plan to make an impact in your organization once you enter the surplus lines industry? - OR -

2. What characteristics make you a good fit for the surplus lines industry, and why? Include examples from any work or classroom experiences. 

Next Steps

Click on "Begin" in the upper right corner to start your application. You can save your work and return later to finish.

Questions? Contact Denise Marshall at [email protected] or 816.799.0851, or Chris Timmerman at [email protected] or 816.799.0858.