Linda Brettschneider Drawsky '76
Major: American Studies and Political Science
Favorite Professors
Dr. Tai Sung An was my advisor as a Political Science major and helped foster an interest in national and international political events which continues to this day. Dr. Guy Goodfellow was also a favorite providing insight in American history and culture.
Fondest WC Memory
Washington College provided me with many firsts in my life: first time to live away from home, first time to live with a roommate (Suzie Beery), and first time to fall in love. Chestertown will always have special memories for me, and I look forward to reconnecting with classmates for the 50th reunion in 2026.
Let's Hear It for the Liberal Arts
Washington College opened the door to a career for which I never really planned. During my senior year in 1976 I attended a Job Fair in Baltimore and met a gentleman who was the Alumni rep for WC in the Baltimore area. When he learned I was about to graduate, he suggested a trainee position with Aetna Life & Casualty based in Hartford, CT as either an Underwriting or Claims trainee. I opted for Underwriting and that decision placed me on a career course that would last for 44 years in the insurance industry retiring in 2020.
After completing my Casualty Underwriting training in Baltimore, I relocated to San Francisco and from there expanded to underwrite other lines of commercial insurance working as an Underwriting Manager, Marketing Manager, and in the Home Office of Industrial Indemnity before being transferred to Sacramento, as New Program Director for Coregis Insurance Company. In Sacramento, my focus became Public Entity programs with a concentration on Public Schools. Another transfer to the Phoenix office, expanded my repertoire to include Municipalities, designing a custom program for Native American Tribes in Arizona (my favorite assignment).
I decided to apply to an Arizona based company so that I would no longer have to transfer and began working at Scottsdale Insurance in 1997 in a variety of product development positions. Again, I was presented with a unique opportunity to lead the development of a co-venture with Co-operators, a Canadian insurer, and our first venture into the "international" arena; a very challenging and rewarding experience.
My undergraduate studies were so varied between American Studies (Art, Drama, History, Literature, Music, and Philosophy) and Political Science (Government, Law, and Politics) that I was always able to adapt to whatever career opportunities were presented to me as long as I was flexible and creative (and willing to relocate).
Advice
Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Our lives are a gift: always be grateful for every experience and every person who connects with you along your life journey. Be patient and persistent and most importantly, be kind to yourself and others!
