At just 20 years old, Isabel Roe is already shaping a future defined by global perspective, resilience and purpose.
That ambition has become a reality thanks to the 2025 Brian Hall Memorial Scholarship which is helping to support her in her studies international management with Spanish at the University of Bath.
Born and raised in Bermuda, Ms Roe completed her GCSEs and International Baccalaureate Diploma at Warwick Academy. Alongside her academic studies, she served as Student Council president, developing independence, leadership skills and a strong desire to understand how education connects to real careers.
As university applications approached, Ms Roe found herself facing a challenge familiar to many students. She enjoyed biology and chemistry, but she was equally drawn to business studies and felt unsettled by not knowing where either path would lead in practice.
“What unsettled me most wasn’t the difficulty of the subjects,” she said. “It was not knowing what either path actually led to in real life.”
That uncertainty stayed with her and shaped the choices she made next.
With the encouragement and support of her parents, Ms Roe chose to gain real world experience, believing clarity would come through action rather than assumptions made from the classroom alone.
Make your own luck
While still in high school, Ms Roe applied for internships across Bermuda, despite many opportunities being aimed at university students. She sent out her CV with little expectation, simply hoping someone might be willing to give her a chance.
That chance came from Arch Insurance, which invited her to an open house, followed by an interview and ultimately an internship offer. Ms Roe was just 16, turning 17, when she joined the Mortgage team.
Being the youngest intern was intimidating, and moments of self doubt quickly appeared. However, she said the experience proved transformative.
“By the end of the summer, I could clearly see myself in a business career,” she said, reflecting on how confidence grew through experience.
Over the following years, Ms Roe’s internship at Arch became a defining part of her development. She moved through Mortgage and Finance roles, later proposing a rotation plan to gain exposure across underwriting, actuarial work and catastrophe modelling.
Seeing how these different functions connected gave her a deeper understanding of the insurance industry. It also reinforced the value of curiosity, showing how much growth is possible when students are encouraged to explore beyond fixed expectations.
Ms Roe ultimately spent the most time in underwriting, where she progressed from observer to contributor. Each responsibility pushed her beyond her comfort zone, helping her build confidence, technical understanding and a stronger professional identity.
During her most recent summer, Ms Roe was appointed lead intern. She mentored other interns, led a capstone project presented to the entire company, and delivered presentations in underwriting meetings attended by senior leadership and C suite executives.
These experiences confirmed her interest in the industry and her belief that growth comes from stepping forward, even when situations feel challenging. Each opportunity built on the last, steadily shaping her sense of direction.
The Colombian route
When selecting her university degree, Ms Roe wanted her studies to reflect the global nature of the insurance industry. She chose international management with Spanish to combine business strategy with cultural awareness and language skills.
Her connection to Spanish is also personal. Ms Roe’s mother is Colombian, and growing up with Spanish around her inspired a desire to take the language seriously, not only academically, but as a professional tool.
As part of her degree, Ms Roe was required to complete a year abroad in a Spanish speaking country. She immediately knew she wanted to go to Colombia, her mother’s homeland, to immerse herself fully in the language and culture.
Determined to remain within the insurance industry, Ms Roe pursued an unconventional route for her placement year. Through networking, persistence and resilience, she secured a role with Chubb Colombia.
She now works in a fully Spanish speaking professional environment, an experience she describes as both exciting and demanding. Adapting to a new country, culture and language challenged her confidence in ways she had not experienced before.
“There were moments of doubt, but also moments of pride,” she reflected, particularly when she stopped to consider how far she had come. The experience has been transformative, both professionally and personally.
From uncertainty about what to study, to working in her chosen industry in another language, Ms Roe’s journey highlights how exploration can lead to clarity and confidence when supported by opportunity.
Ms Roe was first introduced to the Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies through industry networking events. These experiences helped her understand the breadth of opportunity within Bermuda’s insurance and reinsurance sector.
It was through BFIS that her path took her to the Brian Hall Memorial Scholarship. Ms Roe applied more than once before being successful, a process that tested her resilience and required honest reflection on her goals and growth.
“Rejection is not a reflection of potential,” she said. Each application cycle pushed her to refine her thinking, strengthen her motivation and return with greater confidence and clarity.
Receiving the Brian Hall Memorial Scholarship ultimately meant far more than financial support. Named in honour of Brian Hall, a longtime leader in the captive insurance sector and founder of BFIS, the award represents belief in future industry leaders and recognition of effort, curiosity and persistence.
For Ms Roe, the scholarship reinforced confidence as much as it provided practical support. It confirmed that her commitment was being recognised and motivated her to continue pushing herself academically, professionally and personally.
Today, Ms Roe sees her scholarship as both an honour and a responsibility. It has inspired her to think about how she can give back in future, by supporting and mentoring others in the way she was supported.
Her journey, from a Bermudian student seeking clarity to an undergraduate gaining global experience in Colombia, shows the lasting impact of belief, opportunity and persistence working together.
