In continuation of our series in which the IRMA students reflect on their experiences from their first semester, we now get the chance to hear Kayli Carter-Little’s story.
Kayli is a double major in Business Administration and Risk Management and Insurance with a minor in Human Resources. She is a non-traditional student who is going back to college for another degree since she decided that being a high school French teacher wasn’t for her. She worked at a title insurance agency for three years, starting as an Administrative Assistant and working up to a Finals Specialist and then a Purchase Processor. She decided she wanted to go back to school to expand her knowledge in the business world. When she saw the IRMA internship opportunity, she jumped at the chance to expand on the experience she had gained from a parallel field and changed her major to include RMI.
Kayli was most excited for the opportunity to obtain her Property and Casualty license, which will open more work opportunities in the coming semester as well as the job market after graduation. The costs of the study materials and testing have been reimbursed through Secured Advantage’s partnership with OIA, so they were no cost to the interns. Kayli said, “Now that I have my license, I’m really looking forward to starting work on Encova’s book of business and with their customers.” She was also excited for the summer internship opportunities and was very thankful for the small yearly scholarship provided by Encova, which is in addition to the hourly wage!
Having a clearly articulated mission and vision are important to IRMA, and Kayli believes that really came through. “By reading “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek and “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, we were able to discuss at length the values of the program and put serious consideration into our own personal “whys”, what drives us,” Kayli explained. IRMA’s “why” is to share the passion for the value and opportunities that are within the insurance industry and provide students with a positive experience to gain the proper perspective in the insurance industry. She believes that the regular guest speakers have really highlighted this “why”. They have helped the interns explore some of the different aspects of the insurance world that aren’t obvious to an outside observer. Additionally, Kayli only has positive things to say about the leadership and support they have provided. Everyone invested in the program has been incredibly helpful in guiding the interns through the unfamiliar territory of the insurance world. Kayli said, “I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to me to be working with supportive team players who are passionate about what they do. I’m very thankful for the opportunities provided here at IRMA.”