A leading insurance student, hailed by the Premier as one of the stars of the new Bermuda, has called on the Island's men to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them.

Sandra Richards, 27, from Warwick, is a graduate student at the world-renowned College of Insurance in New York. She and fellow Bermudian Collin Anderson, 21, won a scholarship over hundreds of competitors to attend the high profile Risk & Insurance Managers Society in San Francisco this year.

Miss Richards said it was a mystery to her and her generation why so many men, especially black men, failed to rise through the ranks in Bermuda.

Miss Richards, who will be taking up a job with ACE when she graduates this summer, said the youth in Bermuda had a host of opportunities and should take advantage of them.

"Young people in Bermuda have so many ways forward. Men, especially black men, have to go forward. They have no excuse now. They can go to Bermuda College.

"There is a co-working agreement with the College of Insurance so that you can go to Bermuda College, get your credits and only have two years at school in the US.'' Miss Richards is a former Berkeley Institute student who will this summer graduate with a Masters in Business Administration and Risk Management.

Premier Jennifer Smith told The Royal Gazette at the conference that Miss Richards and Mr. Anderson were: "The future of Bermuda, the bright students who are the way forward for the Island. They are an example for our youth.'' Miss Richards, who spoke at great length to Ms Smith about her future, said: "I have been out of the country and have been looking at the problem of our men with different eyes. I do not know how to fix it. If I did I would do something about it. The insurance industry is booming in Bermuda, and we should all take advantage of the opportunities this offers us.'' She added that although it was not possible for everyone to be able to go away to school, she said that Bermuda College offered good courses which should be taken advantage of.

And the College of Insurance helped students get well paid holiday work with top insurance companies which helped with tuition fees.

Miss Richards said she would not have got as far as she had without the support of her parents Sylvan and Dorothy Richards. "My parents are very proud. They miss me and want me to come home. They have been very supportive through my college years.'' Collin Anderson, from Pembroke also attended Berkeley Institute before going to Atlantic College in Wales.

He is graduating later this year and is looking to work in New York. He said: "I want to get international experience. I am looking to stay two to three years, but is difficult to say. I do want to return to Bermuda to work, though.'' Mr. Anderson, speaking in San Francisco, said he highly recommends the New York school to Bermudian Students.

"The number one reason for coming to the College of Insurance is its focus.

If you decide that insurance is the thing for your, there is no better place to go. The placements and opportunities these give you to work in international companies outside Bermuda are hard to beat.'' Mr. Anderson and Miss Richards were only two students out of total of nine attending the conference. They were the only two to win the Anita Benedetti Student Involvement Programme sponsored by the RIMS chapter.

Wendell Hunt, 21 from Pembroke and a first year student at the college, said the experience of attending RIMS was unparalleled and recommended more students from Bermuda should attend the college.

"I have been fascinated by the insurance world since my mother told me abut her work as an accountant involved in trusts. It is the way the future of Bermuda is going, so I thought I should be a part of it.

"And it is not as hard as I thought it would be. I would recommend it as a very good course.'' Mr. Hunt is also a former Berkeley Institute and Bermuda College student.

Brandi Harford, 21, from Warwick is a fourth year student who will be graduating in May, and get her masters degree by fall.

She said: "I will be coming back to Bermuda because of its reputation in the insurance world. The experience I have got from the course I could never have got in Bermuda.'' Dion Fox, 21, from St. David's is in his third year. "There is a lot of opportunity there, and if you put your mind to it you can do anything. I am not sure when I will come back to Bermuda. Anything is possible. I want to keep myself open and maybe travel. But to be honest, home is the place to be and if I am honest, I would rather be at home eventually.'' Megan Spurling, 23, is in her third year at the college and says so far her experience at college has been invaluable. She did two years at Bermuda College before transferring her credits to the New York college.

"It has really broadened my perspective, and now I see just how big the insurance industry is. I want to get my masters, but then I think I will return to Bermuda.

Jesse DeCouto, a second year student from Paget, said he could sum up their time at RIMS: "Quite simply it has been a fantastic industry experience.'' BUSINESS BUC