Former Swimmer Sarah Lam (TPR '08) Making Her Mark

When Sarah Lam arrived at Carnegie Mellon as a first-year student, she was apprehensive about leaving home and beginning a new adventure in Pittsburgh. Those fears quickly flew by the wayside, as Lam was greeted at Donner House by members of the swimming and diving program. Her new teammates were there to help get her acclimated to college life.
    
"When I first arrived, I didn't know anyone and it was a little intimidating," Lam said. "The swimmers were there waiting to help unload my car. I started immediately with this great support network. It was fantastic to have them there."
    
It was the start of a special experience for Lam (TPR '08), who went on to spend four years as a member of the Carnegie Mellon swimming program.
    
"I absolutely loved Carnegie Mellon. I think back to my time there, and it was such a joy. It was a great place to meet people from all different walks of life. It was a great place to get an education," Lam said. "I loved every second of being part of the swim team. I'm so glad I got to be a part of something bigger than myself."
    
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2008, Lam thought she would head to Wall Street and begin a career working for an investment bank. Instead, she accepted a position with Travelers Insurance in Hartford, Conn. and has been with the company ever since.
    
"I graduated during a difficult financial time. I never saw myself making a career at a place like Travelers," Lam said. "But there's so much we can do with the development of technology and 'big data.'  There's much more that goes into creating and pricing insurance products than I could have imagined, and the experience has turned out great."
    
Lam has quickly made her mark with the insurance giant, and was recently promoted to senior financial consultant with the company. After working through the product pricing development program, Lam spent her first years at Travelers on a product management state team, supporting Travelers' profitability and growth in Texas and Louisiana. Currently, she is overseeing planning and forecasting for the small commercial division, which creates policies for small businesses.
    
"Product management was a great place to get a broad exposure to all business units within the company," Lam said. "Now as a part of the Finance division, I'm providing structure around planning and forecasting, and it's allowed me to get in front of senior management in a way that I never could before."
    
Lam, who went on to receive her MBA in Finance from the University of Hartford in 2011, has found that her experience as a student-athlete at Carnegie Mellon has helped her during the early stages of her professional career.
    
"Being a student-athlete is huge because you learn how to be part of a team. In business, everything is organized into teams, and it's a natural transition coming from a swim team," Lam said. "We always look to hire student-athletes because they know how to be good team players and can look past individual achievements to understand the bigger picture."
    
Lam also understands the bigger picture, which is why she has committed to giving back to the athletics department as a young alum.
    
"I always told myself that giving back could help buy caps and goggles. Even if it's not as much as other alumni can give, I know it's going to great use," Lam said.
    
It's an exciting time for Lam, who will marry her fiancé Josh next year. The pair met during the development program at Travelers in 2008.
    
Lam, who works alongside former swimmer Ryan Piper at Travelers, relishes the experience she had at Carnegie Mellon and encourages current student-athletes to take advantage of their opportunities at the university.
    
"They should savor every moment. It's such a great experience. You can have it all at Carnegie Mellon," Lam said.