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Young Alumnus Ed Boyanoski

GratiTUesday 2015 Donor Spotlight

Temple Made superhero Ed Boyanoski. Even as a young alumnus, he’s already giving back to Temple in any way he can.

Now a reinsurance underwriter based in Germany, Ed Boyanoski, FOX ‘09 already gives back to Temple wherever he can. With financial gifts and guest lectures during trips back to the U.S., this young alumnus is helping inspire the next generation of giving.

Catch us up! What have you been up to since your days at Temple?
I work in Germany for a company called Munich Re—it’s a reinsurance company. And it’s funny because I was recently trying to explain to my seven-year-old niece what I do for a living. And she said, Uncle Ed, what does an underwriter do? Explaining complex liability transfer and reinsurance would not have gone over well. So I said to her, Well, sweetheart, when bad things happen to people, we are there to save the day. If there is a big fire, or a big storm, we help rebuild. Her eyes immediately lit up and she said, Just like a superhero! And so I said, Yes! Uncle Ed is a superhero. And it's stuck ever since. It might be a bit flattering, but I do believe that we in the re/insurance industry are superheroes in our own right. We are there when the really bad stuff happens. And I’ve been really fortunate to land here with this company at this stage of my career.

You’re already giving back—what motivates you to give to Temple so early in your career?
In looking back at my education and the Risk Management program that I was involved in—it so prepared me for my first position with my company that I sort of feel compelled in a way to give back where I can. I want to support that experience for other people. I see so much value that the school gives to people and if I can support that in any way I’m more than happy to.

What advice do you have for other young alumni who want to give but aren’t sure they can afford to?
I would say give where and how you can. It doesn’t even have to be on a monetary basis. I give where I can, money-wise, but I also try to give my time as well—I do lectures and activities with Gamma Iota Sigma, the fraternity I was a part of. It doesn’t have to be a lot, it can be any amount. I think it does really make a difference to the university, particularly to the students, who are using a lot of the great benefit that comes out of those gifts—scholarships for book money or the ability to go to industry events. I think there’s more value that they would get out of this money than I would.

One of my friends who went to Temple passed away about three years ago, and along with other friends, his family, and Munich Re we created the Kevin Lo Memorial Scholarship—it ensures that his memory will live on in the support provided to Temple Risk Management students for years to come. Temple was so helpful in creating the scholarship—from start to finish. So there are so many ways to give back.

Ed Boyanoski meets then Temple President David Adamany while moving into his dorm in August, 2004.

Do you have a favorite Temple memory?
One of the coolest memories was when I was moving into my dormitory. I’m saying goodbye to all the people moving out, I’m saying hello to all the people moving in. And I see this gentleman and he’s wearing a suit and a tie, he’s got his little Temple pin on his lapel. And I happen to bump into him and he says, Well hello, welcome to Temple. So I say, Hi, I’m Ed Boyanoski. And he says, Hi, I’m the president of the university. And someone that he was with asks if they can take a picture. I’m this 18-year-old kid with long hair—I look so young and ready to take on the world. And they published that photo in the Temple Times on the front page.

Any advice for current students?
When you’re at Temple, dream big. I could never have predicted that I would end up in Germany. But I knew that I wanted a career in the insurance industry, wanted to travel internationally, but never really knew how it would come together. Life is not so much about the decisions that you make as it is about the options that you leave open for yourself. And when you make decisions with that vision, I think it helps these opportunities come to fruition. So allow yourself to think that this can be possible.

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