Spencer Scholar Tram Nguyen, RIMS-CRMP - RIMScast | Lyssna här

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.

In this episode, Justin interviews Tram Nguyen, honored as a Spencer Scholar at the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala in September in New York City, about her acceptance speech during the Gala, her experience as a young Vietnamese professional, and building her career in the United States. Tram tells about learning to navigate a new language, a new academic environment, a highly specialized field like risk management, and what that experience taught her about herself.

Tram tells how she learned abt risk management at UConn Business School, and how that connected her to Spencer Educational Foundation, and from there to an internship at BNBuilders, which will shift to a full-time risk analyst position when she graduates in December.

Tram speaks highly of her Spencer experiences and why she is passionate about the risk management industry.

Listen for Tram's advice for students learning about Insurance and risk management.

Key Takeaways:

[:01] About RIMS and RIMScast.

[:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is one of the 2026 Spencer Scholars, Tram Nguyen. But first…

[:42] Webinars: Global Risk Consultants will return on October 8th to present "The 2027 Risk Agenda: 10 Engineering Priorities Risk Leaders Should Act on Now."

[:53] On Oct. 15, Verisk Maplecroft will lead the session "Beyond the Horizon: Turning External Risk Into Decision-Ready Insight."

[1:01] On Oct. 22, Zurich returns to tell us all about "Cybercrime, Fraud and AI: Real-World Threats and Practical Defenses for Business Leaders."

[1:12] Origami Risk returns on October 29th to present "Managing Insurance Programs at Scale: What Complex Portfolios Require."

[1:21] On Nov. 5th, Riskonnect returns to deliver the session "Signal Over Noise: Smarter Risk Analytics."

[1:28] We will close out the year with two webinars from the RIMS Advocacy and External Affairs Committees. On Nov. 10th, we will host a session about the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) and an update on Federal developments.

[1:44] On Dec. 3rd, we will host a session about third-party litigation funding. Both of those sessions will be moderated by RIMS General Counsel Mark Prysock. He will be our guest next week on RIMSCast. Visit RIMS.org/Webinars to register.

[1:59] RIMS on YouTube! RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today!

[2:18] On with the Show! Our guest today wowed the heck out of me while she was on stage receiving her honor at the Spencer Funding Their Future Gala in September. Tram Nguyen was one of two Spencer Scholars honored this year.

[2:34] Tram is from Vietnam. She is currently wrapping up her studies for an MS in Financial and Enterprise Risk Management at UConn, and she is an incoming risk analyst at BNBuilders in California.

[2:48] Tram started in a rural area in Vietnam and worked her way up to being one of the rising stars of the risk profession.

[3:01] Tram was just as warm and fun onstage as she is in this interview. I think you're going to learn a lot, not just about her life but also why she's so comfortable on stage, how her personal philosophy guides her risk philosophy, and more. Let's get to it!…

[3:23] Interview! Tram, thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast!

[3:32] Tram feels humbled because so many talented professionals and great industry leaders she admires have been on the RIMScast podcast. She thanks Justin for inviting her.

[3:52] Justin saw Tram on stage as a Spencer Scholar at the Spence Funding Their Future Gala at the Waldorf Astoria on September 17th. Not only did she receive a wonderful scholarship and honor, but she delivered a memorized speech about herself. Tram says she practiced a lot.

[4:26] Tram wrote the speech, and she knew what she wanted to say, so it was easier to remember everything. Justin says when he had to give a toast at his daughter's birthday party, he still needed his lines. Justin says Tram set the bar very high.

[5:00] Tram says she is comfortable as a presenter. She was an emcee in Vietnam. When she first went on stage, she was nervous, but the more she practiced and got used to the stage, the more confidence she got. She also does meditation. Mindfulness helps her focus and stay calm.

[5:59] Justin says he is glad to hear she felt that way. It takes time to develop those skills, but once you have them, you never want to be without them.

[6:13] On stage, Tram spoke of being a young professional in Vietnam and of building her career in the U.S. Tram says she learned to speak English about a year ago.

[6:42] Tram says that a few years ago, she didn't know she would be capable of speaking about risk management in English today. She says she learned that human potential is unlimited and nothing is impossible.

[7:12] Tram says she prepares for everything. She has a mindset that if someone can do something, she can do it, too, if she learns it. Tram says if she really wants to do something, she will find a way and try as many times as necessary until she gets it.

[7:29] Tram says before she came here, a year ago, she didn't have international schooling in Vietnam because her family was very poor. She went to a traditional rural public high school, three hours away from Ho Chi Minh City.

[7:48] Tram went to Ho Chi Minh City and started to learn English. Mostly, she studied English through music and movies, but she didn't use it daily in Vietnam.

[8:05] When Tram came to the U.S. a year ago, she started using English daily. She understood around 30 to 40% of the lectures at school. She emailed her professor for advice on how to succeed in this course as an international student with English as a second language.

[8:33] Tram received guidance that she followed very seriously. She recorded each lecture. She studied a lot. She put herself out there and went to a lot of work events to practice her English.

[8:51] Tram adopts new vocabulary words every day. She says her English skills have improved a lot. She says now she can understand 95 to 98% of the conversation. She is still studying and improving every day.

[9:46] Justin asks how Tram learned about risk management and wanted to pursue a career in it. Tram says she started to learn about it when she was working at a bank in Vietnam, serving many clients. Insurance was always an important part of her KBI there.

[10:02] Tram received a lot of training so she could consult with clients and sell them insurance products. Risk management was also a part of her work, especially in areas like anti-money laundering, investment consultation, and compliance.

[10:20] Tram says that at the time, the insurance and risk management industry in Vietnam was still relatively young and underdeveloped. Tram didn't even realize back then that risk management was an industry.

[10:34] Tram says that after working for a few years with clients and the situations she encountered, she saw many clients' companies go bankrupt because they didn't know how to manage risk well.

[10:51] Tram realized she needed to understand risk management much more deeply if she wanted to become a trusted advisor and help her clients make better decisions.

[11:03] Tram also says it is difficult to find people in Vietnam who have strong technical skills and deep knowledge in finance and risk management. That became one of her motivations to study abroad and learn from a developed country, like the U.S., and fill that knowledge gap.

[11:23] Tram says when she came to the U.S., she got involved in many events, conferences, and workshops related to risk management. She was doing her master's program, connecting with people in the industry, and she realized the potential of this field and how special this industry is.

[12:00] A Quick Break! Many fantastic RIMS events are coming up in 2026 and 2027. Save the dates: October 18th through the 21st. In Quebec City, we will be hosting the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information.

[12:16] Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spin-off show, RIMScast Canada video podcast.

[12:25] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. The agenda is live, and registration is open. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2026.

[12:40] We're already looking to RISKWORLD 2027, which will be held over four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 18th through the 21st. Member-only registration will open on November 4th, and general registration will open on December 2nd.

[12:58] Get first access to the hotel block! Hotel reservations open on October 28th, ahead of public registration. Sitting this out is the real risk. The link to registration is in this episode's show notes.

[13:11] Let's Return to Our Interview with 2026 Spencer Scholar Tram Nguyen!

[13:23] Tram says she went to college at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, a public university in Vietnam. It is very strong in economics.

[13:41] Tram says when she came to the U.S., she started at UConn for her master's degree. She started to learn about risk management and the Spencer Educational Foundation through a professor at UConn. The professor had sent out an email about Spencer Scholarships.

[14:13] Tram says this is her last semester. She will graduate in December. She is employed at BNBuilders as a risk intern, working remotely during school. After her graduation, she will move to California in December for full-time work. Her title will change from risk intern to risk analyst.

[14:47] Justin says, You're a young person from a rural town in Vietnam who is in Connecticut and will eventually start a career in California in one of the emerging professions here in the U.S. That's such a wonderful story.

[15:02] Tram says she truly didn't imagine it. Even her mother says she couldn't believe that someone from their family could work in the U.S., get on a stage in New York City, and give a speech. Her family cried after seeing her speech.

[15:37] Tram says that in her programs she had learned a lot about how to manage different types of risk, but she didn't understand how to apply risk in reality, how corporations and companies work on risk, and what the projects look like.

[15:57] Tram says that working at BNBuilders, it's fascinating to see how those concepts are applied in real life. Tram is taking a course on credit risk, learning how to calculate the probability of default.

[16:12] Tram says that at the company, they have a strong process set up for prequalifying subcontractors. One of the purposes is determining where subcontractors can qualify for the SDI insurance program.

[16:28] That experience at BNBuilders helped Tram to learn about how BNBuilders' financial analysts review their financial statements and determine whether their financial capacity meets BNBuilders' requirements.

[16:51] Tram says that at BNBuilders, she had the opportunity to go to a job site of a $400 million Life Science project in San Diego and saw a huge, beautiful building being constructed. She saw the laboratories where scientists will conduct research and develop new drugs.

[17:23] Tram says she thought of how cool that is, when a company can turn empty land into a complex, a place for people to live, to work, and to create value for society. Tram found it incredibly inspirational. It gave her motivation and more appreciation for what she does.

[17:56] One More Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's applications are open for undergraduate scholarships, and they will close on January 15th, 2027. Scholarship awardees will be notified around May 21st.

[18:] Full-time Master's scholarships also have a deadline of January 15th, 2027. Awardees will be notified around May 21st. Part-time Master's scholarships also have a deadline of January 15th, 2027. Awardees will be notified around May 21st.

[18:36] Pre-dissertation Ph.D. Candidates, Doctoral Candidates, and Pre-instructor of Practice scholarships may begin applying on December 1st, 2026. The Deadline is March 1st, 2027. Awardees will be notified around May 21st.

[18:54] In addition to general Spencer Scholarships, all students who apply for a Spencer Scholarship will automatically be considered for one of many named scholarships. For more information, check out SpencerEd.org/scholarships and the link in this episode's show notes.

[19:11] Let's Conclude Our Dialog with 2026 Spencer Scholar Tram Nguyen!

[19:37] Tram says that when she started her program, she was looking for scholarships. She learned that Spencer was a scholarship program for students in risk management. She wanted the scholarship for her tuition.

[19:52] Tram tried every possible way to increase her chances of receiving a scholarship. She took a four-hour train trip to attend Risk Manager on Campus at UConn to meet Ken Goldstein from Spencer. For an hour, she talked to many risk professionals and then took the train back.

[20:31] Tram says she went everywhere to make herself more visible. She earned certifications to strengthen her resume and improve her ability for the scholarship application. She focused on risk management and insurance in almost every aspect of her life.

[20:52] Tram says the more she learned about this industry and the more people she met, the more she loved it. She says she actually got rejected from the Spencer scholarship. When she received the rejection email, she was upset.

[21:12] Tram says when she looked back at everything she had done and how much the scholarship had already changed her direction, her career, and her personal growth, and given her so much motivation to be involved in this industry, she saw she had gained so much.

[21:34] Tram says she thought maybe the scholarship had already done its mission. But she didn't give up. She applied again and received the internship offer. Then Spencer announced a new program, Spencer's Success Stipend. Tram applied again, and this time she received it.

[22:00] Tram says she volunteered with Spencer at RISKWORLD and met a team. Mostly, she works with Daniel Perez of Spencer. BNBuilders sent their job posting to Spencer, and Daniel connected it with UConn. That's how Tram found her internship.

[23:01] Justin says Daniel is a good friend. Daniel connected Justin with several people through Spencer and was able to get some of the guests on the show. Justin gives a big thank you to Daniel.

[23:52] Justin asks about Tram's future. Tram says data, technology, and AI are evolving very quickly. Tram especially enjoys learning how to leverage AI to turn her ideas into reality and using AI as her assistant.

[24:08] Tram lets AI do what it is good at: execution, building things, and handling repetitive work. For herself, Tram wants to focus on developing as much understanding and knowledge as possible about how things work across different industries.

[24:25] Tram says if it is possible for her to understand the big picture, then when she understands how everything works and how different pieces connect to each other, she can think more easily about how to improve it or create something new.

[24:47] Tram says when she has a new idea, she can explain it to AI and give it instructions, and let AI and other resources, if necessary, execute the work. After that, she will review the outcome, make changes, polish it, and finalize it. Creativity and how to leverage AI is her focus.

[25:24] Tram shares advice: "I would say just keep doing what you love and work hard on your dreams. Then everything will happen. I am still a very young professional, still working, still a student, and still trying to improve myself every day."

[25:44] Tram says, "I hope everybody out there will see this as a little bit of motivation or aspiration for them to work harder and strive together." Tram thanks Justin for having her on RIMSCast today. Sharing her stories and talking to Justin is a pleasure.

[26:08] Special thanks to Spencer Scholar Tram Nguyen. She seems like a wonderful and grateful individual, and we look forward to having a front seat to all her success in risk management.

[26:21] We didn't talk about it in this interview, but Tram Nguyen is also a RIMS-CRMP holder. Do you feel like an underachiever yet? Her RIMS-CRMP Story will be available soon, and a link will be on this episode's show notes.

[26:32] Plug Time! Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information.

[26:49] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more.

[27:06] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management.

[27:20] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org.

[27:31] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!

Links:

RIMS Canada Conference — Oct. 18‒21, 2026 | Quebec City | www.rimscanadaconference.ca

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Upcoming RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops:

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See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops

Upcoming RIMS Webinars:

RIMS.org/Webinars

"The 2027 Risk Agenda: 10 Engineering Priorities Risk Leaders Should Act on Now" | Sponsored by Global Risk Consultants | Oct. 8, 2026

"Beyond the Horizon: Turning External Risk Into Decision-Ready Insight" | Sponsored by Verisk Maplecroft | Oct. 15, 2026

"Cybercrime, Fraud and AI: Real-World Threats and Practical Defenses for Business Leaders" | Sponsored by Zurich | Oct. 22, 2026

"Managing Insurance Programs at Scale: What Complex Risk Portfolios Require" | Sponsored by Origami Risk | Oct. 29, 2026

"Signal Over Noise: Smarter Risk Analytics" | Sponsored by Riskonnect | Nov. 5, 2026

"RIMS Advocacy Presents: Terrorism Risk Insurance Act and Program: An Update on Federal Developments" | Nov. 10, 2026

Related RIMScast Episodes from 2026:

"Giving Risk Professionals Agency with Lawanda 'Elle Michell' Hall"

"Choosing the Challenge with Spencer Board Chair Johnell Holly"

"Taking on Global Leadership in Insurance with Sierra Signorelli, Spencer Funding Their Future Honoree"

"Spencer Funding Their Future Honoree Marya Propis: From Industry Leader to Talent Champion"