Western General Insurance (Westgen) has pledged money to the Bermuda Foundation For Insurance Studies (BFIS) to be used specifically to support a student studying insurance overseas.

The scholarship is worth $12,500 a year for four years and has been awarded to Deniece Gordon, who completed her high school education at Bermuda High School for Girls and Saltus Senior Year.

In September she will be heading off to New York to attend St. Johns University School of Risk Management as a Freshman, said BFIS in a release.

John Marion, president and managing director of Westgen, said: "We are delighted to work with BFIS to help support a student who intends to make a career in the insurance sector. The BFIS Scholarship Committee interviewed the applicants and we were pleased when they recommended Deniece as she is already known to us, having been a Westgen scholarship recipient whilst attending BHS and Saltus SGY. So we know she is a hard-working and focused individual who has a plan for her future."

Chris Sposato, BFIS Trustee, said, "We are very pleased to welcome Westgen as a Pledged Members of BFIS. Westgen's contributions have enabled us to increase our Endowment Fund as well as to expand our scholarship offerings to Bermudian Students by providing a dedicated scholarship to a student seeking to study abroad for all four academic years. On behalf of BFIS, I join John in wishing Deniece success in her studies at St. John's.

Westgen was incorporated in 1980 under the Laws of Bermuda and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western International Financial Group Ltd. Westgen is an insurance and reinsurance company specialising in worldwide property and casualty risks and equity investments.