It’s absolutely amazing that nine weeks have already flown by.  It feels like we were just in Itasca getting to know everyone!  I’ve really enjoyed working on different projects in the SF and Lafayette offices, and working on our regional intern project.  It was great working with everyone and hearing how everyone’s experiences have been similar, and how they have been different.  It’s pretty crazy that we’re at the end of this program.  I can honestly say that I have gotten a lot out of this internship, and like they told us in Itasca, this wasn’t “just another summer job”.

Best of luck to everyone!

-Melanie

Like everyone else has been saying, I can’t believe that we’re almost done with the intern program.  This week has gone by so quickly, with meetings and projects that I’ve been working on.  It’s crazy to think about the fact that we’ve almost completed 9 weeks of the intern program!

Yesterday I was able to go to a client meeting discussing their wellness program that they are hoping to pilot for this year.  They have just begun to think about things such as their slogan, and their mission statement.  I enjoyed being able to be there for one of the first meetings, to see where a client would begin to think about implementing a wellness program, and how to make it most effective.

I’ve also been working on some projects in the Lafayette office, so I’ve been out there between one and two times a week.  I went on a prospect visit earlier this week out there, and was able to see another producer’s style and how he approached the sales process.

Looking forward to talking to everyone in a few minutes!

-Melanie

Like TJ, I also attend one of the Claremont Colleges, so my college post will probably be very similar to his!  I am going into my senior year at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA.  Pitzer has a student body of about 1,000 students.  The Claremont Colleges consortium (made up of Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps Colleges, and two graduate schools) offers the advantages of a small liberal arts school (small class size, close contact with professors, extensive alumni network, etc.) while at the same time offers many of the amenities of a medium sized research university (through shared resources such as the library, dining halls, cross-registration between the schools in the consortium, etc.).  During my senior year, I will be one of the Robert Day Scholars, which is a program that is run through Claremont McKenna College, but is open to students from all of the undergraduate schools in the consortium.  I think this program is a great example of the shared resources at the Claremont Colleges.  It’s also hard to beat the weather, as TJ said, it’s hard to complain about being able to visit the pool in January!

-Melanie

I can’t believe that it’s already the middle of week 6!  I’ve been pretty busy here in the San Francisco office, helping with renewals, etc.  I’ve been doing a lot in BenefitPoint, to make sure that everything is updated as new plans go into effect for some of the large hospitality clients.  I’ve also been entering some information for the Lafayette office, which has some smaller clients, so I’m learning a lot about the differences between different sizes of clients, and how each office handles their client service.

The San Francisco office has a team that focuses on RETA, which is a Catholic healthcare trust.  They just finished a pilot wellness program with some of their groups within RETA, so I was able to attend a meeting that debriefed one of the groups on the pilot program.  It was really interesting to see how the implementation and success of the program was so dependent on the support from upper management.  It seemed like a very beneficial program, and they provided various incentives for finishing the program, and also entered participants into a raffle for additional prizes.  On the other side of it, we were also able to see what potential healthcare cost savings would be.

One of the things that I’m enjoying most so far throughout this internship is being treated as a part of the team, and being given tasks to finish that are time sensitive, and working with everyone else to meet the deadline.

I’ve also been working on the intern project, and talking with the producers in our office regarding their different styles, which has also taught me a lot about each producer and their success in bringing in and retaining clients.

Looking forward to talking with everyone tomorrow on the conference call!

- Melanie in SF

I definitely agree with TJ about enjoying coming into work in the mornings, and that this internship is setting the bar pretty high for any future jobs!  The amount of knowledge that I feel I’ve already learned in four weeks is astonishing, and is an eye opener to the immense amount of information that is out there that I haven’t yet begun to learn.  I’ve been working on a variety of projects in the San Francisco office, which has allowed me to get a feel for the various clients, how they differ and how they’re similar, etc.  I’m also the intern for the Lafayette office, so I’ll be going out there about once a week to work on projects/go to client meetings, which adds even more to the variety of projects that I’m exposed to.

The people I work with are great.  We have a conference room with no windows that is called “the cave” where we eat lunch.  It’s a great way to take a break, and relax during the lunch hour.  It’s nice to see a balance between working hard, and enjoying yourself and the people that you work with, as that is something that I see in the office on a day to day basis.

-Melanie

I found last week’s orientation to be a fantastic learning experience.  It’s definitely different to have come back into the office today, because I feel like I have a much greater knowledge base regarding the insurance industry than I did before orientation in Itasca.  I enjoyed meeting interns from all over the country, and getting to know them.  I’m excited to stay in contact with everyone that I met, as well as utilizing the information from last week throughout the course of the next six weeks!  – Melanie in San Francisco