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Two ۽ֱ RMI majors selected for highly competitive internship program

Published March 16, 2016

MONROE, La. — ۽ֱ Risk Management and Insurance Majors Lexie Meszaros and Lauren Lewis have been selected for the prestigious National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices, Ltd, (NAPSLO) summer 2016 internship program.

NAPSLO annually awards paid summer internships to college students interested in a career in the surplus lines industry. This nine-week opportunity offers students experience in both the underwriting and brokerage sides of the surplus lines marketplace by working with actual risks and learning alongside leaders in the industry. The internship program was created to attract new talent to the surplus lines insurance industry. Representatives from NAPSLO traveled to Monroe to interview both Meszaros and Lewis.

Students work five weeks for a NAPSLO member insurance carrier and four weeks with a NAPSLO member wholesale brokerage firm. Interns gain experience in all areas, including: underwriting, claims, accounting, marketing, and regulatory compliance. Much of the work is hands-on, actually dealing with risks that may receive coverage by the firms, and many interns are assigned special projects by their host firms dealing with particular lines of business or future ventures and programs. Additionally, interns are given access to many levels of leadership at the firm; many meet the Presidents or CEOs of their organization during their internship tenure. 

In addition to paid travel and housing expenses, NAPSLO provides interns a stipend and the host firms pay a competitive weekly salary. At the end of the program, several interns will be invited to attend the 2016 NAPSLO Annual Convention in San Diego. Based on interviews with the members of the Career Awareness & Internship Committee, two interns will be selected as the J.H. Blades Scholar and Bermuda Scholar and will travel to London or Bermuda for three weeks in 2016 to learn more about those unique markets. 

Meszaros will intern with James River Insurance in Richmond, Va. and with Benchmark Management Group and Specialty Lines Underwriters in Naperville, Ill. “I am thankful for the opportunity to further explore the surplus lines,” said Meszaros. “I know that the experiences I gain from the NAPSLO internship will be just as rewarding as my education at ۽ֱ has been.”

Lewis will intern with Nationwide E&S/Specialty in Scottsdale, Ariz. and with AmWINS in Chatsworth, Calif.  “I am most excited to be able to have real life experience in two of the main sides of the insurance industry and be able to actually put into action everything I've been learning in my Risk Management and Insurance classes at ۽ֱ!”

Risk Management and Insurance Associate Professor Christine Berry said she is very proud of both of them. “Lauren and Lexie are both very deserving of this internship and I know they will be excellent representatives of ۽ֱ’s Risk Management and Insurance program.”