With a master’s degree in analytics, Zoram Blancas Ruiz will back his business decisions with data.
After earning a degree in business administration from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, Peru, Zoram Blancas Ruiz set his sights on the United States. After making his way to Portland, Maine, via an internship with CIEE, a nonprofit that promotes study abroad, he found a demand for his native Spanish and English-language skills, initially in the insurance industry.
Today he’s manager of health and productivity programs and analytics at Prudential Financial in Portland, using data analysis to help insurer clients improve their business practices. Eager to sharpen his skill set, Blancas Ruiz discovered the Master in Analytics program at Northeastern’s Roux Institute. Classes both in-person and online fit his lifestyle and career ambitions.
My graduate degree will give me credibility, a substantiated opinion backed by data.
ZORAM BLANCAS RUIZ
Master of Professional Studies in Analytics, The Roux Institute
Up until that point, he says, his analytics skills had been self-taught. By learning from industry-leading professors and peer professionals, he aims to reposition himself as a thought leader at Prudential Financial. “My graduate degree will give me credibility,” he says, “a substantiated opinion backed by data.”
One project he’s keen to undertake using his new skills is an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the disability insurance business. “There is a lot of hypothesis testing related to COVID,” he says. “People are working remotely, and we want to understand how that’s going to impact claims. Will the increase in remote work decrease claims? Will remote work trends in 2022 mirror 2020, or look more like 2019?
Blancas Ruiz attends classes on campus so he can bounce ideas off his peers. “Several people are working in the insurance industry, and in finance and health,” he says. “It’s super helpful to hear their perspectives.”
He also loves Maine. Portland offers a sense of community that “you don’t always find in larger cities,” he says. “Everyone wants to help and make things better, and that resonates with me.”
Applicants get hands-on support from the moment they apply, but that’s just the beginning. That support will continue for as long as they’re enrolled at the Roux.
LIZ ATWOOD
Director of Enrollment Management, the Roux Institute
Anyone who’s curious about starting their path to earning a master’s degree or graduate certificate are encouraged to join an open house at the Portland campus. You can also get in touch with an enrollment counselor via the website, text, or phone.
Liz Atwood also urges people to stop by the Roux Institute to explore the space. “You don’t need an appointment to visit,” she says. “If you’re in Portland and want to explore our space, have a coffee on our patio, have a no-pressure conversation with a member of our staff, we encourage you to come say hi.”
The Roux campus is located at 100 Fore Street in Portland, Maine.