Two things attracted this year’s Maurice Herndon Scholarship winner to the insurance industry: “to continuously learn new things” and “to help people,” says Alexandra Stewart, personal lines risk manager at Kane Insurance Agency in Rye, New Hampshire.

After graduating college with a psychology degree and a minor in business administration, an insurance career with Kane Insurance “ended up being a good fit, because I was just out of school and I was eager to learn a lot,” Stewart says. “Even with no experience, they were happy to train me based on just wanting to learn.”

Presented each year to one young agent who is a first-time attendee to the Big “I” Legislative Conference, the Maurice Herndon Scholarship allows the recipient to attend the conference free of charge. Its namesake refers to the former head of the 1949 Big “I” Washington, D.C. office, who built the association’s government affairs and grassroots operations.

The conference is “going to be a big-time learning experience,” Stewart says. “I’m not walking in with a ton of political knowledge but I’m going to go in like a sponge and soak it all up. It’s especially important for the young agents to be there because we’re helping the future of the industry and we have the opportunity to change much of the legislation.”

Stewart’s aunt, Donna Dunn, was a successful insurance agent on the seacoast of New Hampshire and has been a positive influence on Stewart’s career so far. Dunn was involved in numerous insurance groups, including the Agents Advisory Council for MMG, and was also named Insurance Woman of the Year by National Association of Insurance Women—twice.

“When I told her about the scholarship, she was excited and proud,” Stewart says. “We’ve been able to bounce ideas about the insurance industry off each other—she’s curious about how things have changed and developed since time has gone on.”

Dunn was also the first woman to chair the InVEST® Board of Directors. "It’s an awesome program,” Stewart says of the nonprofit, which works to educate, prepare and attract new talent to the insurance industry.

Stewart, who is also involved with the Young Agents Committee of New Hampshire, is no stranger to these types of organizations. In high school, she belonged to the National Honor Society, whose four main principals are character, leadership, service and scholarship. “Looking back, it’s interesting because those are really similar to the young agents’ guiding principles,” she says. “We volunteer, we get educated and we network.”

Getting involved with these groups “helps remind you that there’s so much more to being part of the insurance industry than sitting by a desk and quoting a policy,” Stewart says. “We do a lot of community service, which I think is awesome.”

Of course, “it’s always good to be involved in your community,” Stewart explains. “And because “insurance is always on the backburner for a lot of people, it’s good to be able to give the community a storefront where they see their local insurance agency getting involved in local projects. Maybe that will make them want to know a little bit more about us.”

Will Jones is IA assistant editor.