It’s hard to believe this internship is winding down as we head into our final days as GBS interns.  I feel as though I’ve been running 100 mph for the last 9 weeks so taking time to reflect on the experience is like a much needed breath of fresh air.  While I feel like I’ve been going, going, going, I never had the feeling I was running like a chicken without its head.  Sure, there have been challenging times when I felt completely out of my element; yet even through all those moments, I could see the purpose in everything that was required of me.  As I said in an earlier post, the one thing I wanted to gain most out of this internship was a much needed sense of direction. I wanted to discover my “niche” and uncover my hidden talents. Although I cannot say I wake up every morning feeling excited to learn about the difference between a PPO and HMO, the dynamic nature of the insurance industry excites me. There’s never a dull moment as there’s always something (or a deadline) to look forward to no matter what time of the year it is. While my main responsibilities center around insurance, I am still exposed to different industries through various clients in different niches. The experience also differs depending on the client’s personality, as I have learned from several client meetings. With a year round schedule and diverse clientele, I discovered insurance was much more interesting than I originally anticipated.

Looking forward, I’m not sure what to expect in the future.  As I head into my senior year of college, there’s a lot of uncertainty ahead of me. I may have diverted to a pint of Haagan Dasz ice cream one year ago to cope with the pressure, but I feel more comfortable with the “unknown” after this experience.  At this point, I plan to enjoy my last year as a student by making the most of my remaining courses and growing closer to my friends.  Oh and of course, I can’t forget to milk my parents for what they are worth before they cut me off. Once that happens, I guess I’ll get a job with Gallagher…  At least, I hope to.

“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”

Brownie points to anyone who knows the author of that quote, without google-ing it.

-Sarah, LA GBS

As I reflect on the office culture here, I can hear The Office tune play back in my head. Not that the people in this office are anything like the characters from The Office… except for one of our consultants who is the spitting image of Michael Scott. He’s probably the furthest person from Michael Scott in terms of personality, but the physical resemblance is remarkable. I just snapped a picture of him this morning, so I’ll add his picture later!  We also have John Travolta, Reese Witherspoon, Captain Kangaroo, Carrie Underwood, among others represented in the LA office. In fact, it’s become sort of a challenge to figure out a celebrity look-alike for everyone in the office. Even Andrew, Mike and Evan have pictures of celebrity look-alikes on their name plates outside their cubes. I’ve been fortunate enough to dodge that bullet… I like to think it’s because I am one of a kind, but I think it’s truly because there aren’t too many Asian celebrities in the media. Although, Andrew wasn’t safe either.  His picture disappeared, but I’ve attached a picture of the celebrity look-alike anyway.

In all seriousness, I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly and relaxed the corporate culture is in the LA office. There’s a sense of teamwork here that contributes to a collaborative culture that supports one another with mutual respect. Even as an intern, I’ve never been looked down on as naïve. Of course I have much to learn, but I’ve been treated with the same level of respect as everyone else. This learning experience has been challenging at times, but the experience has been enjoyable because of the amiable culture here. In between all the projects, meetings and conference calls, the LA office balances work with fun. We do real work here though, I promise.

- Sarah, Los Angeles

Here are some pictures from the office… I don’t know who all of the celebrities are, but enjoy!

Because I took a good amount of AP classes in high school that fulfilled many of my GE requirements, the increased flexibility in my schedule allowed me to take some interesting elective courses during the past three years. I took advantage of the free space in my schedule by taking some fine arts classes as well as some business electives. I’ve been interested in consulting for sometime now and took some industrial organizational behavior courses to help me follow the consulting path. As for future class load, I’m somewhat in the same boat as Evan and Mike because I only have four classes left to take before I graduate. Even if Pepperdine offered courses specifically insurance and benefits related, I most likely wouldn’t enroll in those classes. I’ve learned so much through this internship about practical business lessons no text book or lecture could ever teach me. I don’t think any class would come close to offering me the same education I am receiving here about the industry. It’d be hard to sit down and read about insurance in a text book when I’ve been basically living and breathing benefits the past six weeks in a real corporate setting. Reading about the definition of a PPO would be far less exciting than actually going to an open-enrollment meeting and listening to a HR rep explain real benefits to real people. I’ve been so heavily invested in this experience, it’s hard to even believe I have to go back for another year in a month! Don’t make me leave and go bacccccck!

- Sarah, LA GBS

I’ve been sharing this with various people in the office, but this internship has really given me a much needed sense of direction. In fact, the most important lesson I wanted to take away from this experience was some sort of direction for my career. As a student of Business Administration, I have learned valuable lessons in accounting, finance, marketing, economics, and management to form a strong business foundation. While my business education allows me to spread myself diversely across different areas of business, I haven’t obtained a specialty in any one field. As I head into my last year of undergrad, I feel the urgency more and more to find my “niche” and discover my passion. I can’t say that I knew what my career would look like four years ago or even before this June when the internship began. I thought I might one day be a great doctor, but that plan became less appealing as chemistry and biology become more of a foreign language than an area of knowledge. Next, I believed I possessed the potential to succeed in communications, but that unraveled after taking a crash course in advertising. I thought about studying history, but decided the future was so much more exciting than dead people. Finally, I decided I would pursue my lifelong goals of becoming a full time rap artist, only Will Smith stole my routine ten years ago. Eventually I came to my senses and decided to go into business—or the glorified undeclared major—after my rap career fizzled. I discovered that I could really be successful in business with my strong analytical and organizational skills.

Still, I needed direction. In the past 5 weeks, this experience has gone beyond my expectations. I was sure I would be handling a certain level of administrative work, but GBS has given me the meat of this industry to sink my teeth in. I came into this internship believing I would have to “pay my dues” as an intern, but I have been challenged as “fresh talent” who can really contribute to the company in new and creative ways. While I can’t say just yet that insurance is my “niche,” I am definitely surprised by how much I am enjoy learning about an HMO, PPO, ASO, etc. I knew nothing about insurance before working at GBS, but I am constantly learning different aspects of the business. I discovered I like the consulting side most because I would ultimately like to help others through direct interaction with people. I hope I can continue to learn more as the internship winds down these remaining 3 weeks, but I’m still figuring things as I go–which is a good and exciting thing.

- Sarah, LA

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Fourth of July! My holiday weekend was really low key. I’m used to celebrating the Fourth back home in Las Vegas where we can (legally) light our own fireworks so just sitting back watching the fireworks wasn’t that exciting here in LA. Friday happened to be one of my close friend’s birthday. We celebrated at a fancy restaurant and ate fancy food in our fancy clothes. If you can keep a secret between you and me, I would have preferred a burger and some watermelon. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the three-day weekend hanging out with my friends at the park for a relaxing Saturday. On Sunday, I watched The Visitor with some buddies. I originally planned to see Hancock, but decided to watch The Visitor after hearing several negative reviews of the Will Smith flick. While The Visitor was not a particularly exciting movie, the film shared a thought-provoking message about immigration and friendship. I’d recommend it to anyone who appreciates a stimulating movie without all the special effects and tricks found in action movies.

At any rate, it’s Monday again and we’re heading into week 5! Can ya’ll believe it’s already been 4 weeks since our first day as GBS interns? Come Wednesday and we are officially half way through our 9 week internship!

P.S., I have added some pictures from Itasca!

- Sarah, the “Fresh Princess of LA”

There are many differences from professionalism and academia. One of my favorite distinctions from the work- and academic-world is the weekends. Once Friday arrives, I do not have to spend my weekend worrying about a project or exam due on Monday. I can just leave work at the office on Friday and enjoy the weekend. Still, the weekends always pass by too quickly and it’s Monday morning before I know it. It is hard to believe we are already heading into week 4 of this internship. The experience is passing by much quicker than I anticipated. There is never a dull moment because there is always something to do. Last week, I gained a bird’s eye view of the industry in an Insurance Industry Overview Training. I also learned more about Sales and cold calling. On Wednesday, the other LA interns and I had the opportunity to discuss our experiences in Itasca during the office Sales Meeting. Like the weekends, public speaking is different in a professional environment from an academic one. While I cannot say I am a naturally gifted public speaker, I feel more comfortable with my abilities the more I practice.  As for this week, I am attending my first client meeting on Wednesday. I’ll write an update about that next week… depending on how well it goes, that is.

My favorite aspect of the internship thus far has been the weekly evaluations. I am so impressed by the level of dedication this company puts forth toward our growing and learning experience. Each week, I meet with someone in the office for a review to talk about the week and get some feedback. The evaluations illuminate my strengths and identify areas of developmental improvements to help me grow and improve as a professional and individual.  On Friday, I discovered that one of the things I struggle with the most is really putting myself out there because I am more reserved and introverted by nature.  My new challenge will be to break out of my comfort zone and get involved as much as I can.  Talking to people in the elevator with my new “elevator speech” I learned in Sales training will be step 1!

Well, it’s a short week, but I wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July! Stay “fresh”!

*Sarah