As my final week as a GEICO intern comes to a close, I reflect on all the opportunities I’ve been given and memories I’ve made with some fantastic people. Applying for this internship was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. GEICO has an incredible atmosphere unlike any other company. Everyone at this company wants you to excel and succeed within GEICO. I’ve been able to work on my leadership skills and teamwork skills because of this internship. I learned what my strengths are and how I can use them frequently in the workplace. Being able to work with so many managers and directors over these past 6 weeks has been so eye opening and inspiring. I feel more confident in myself that I’m able to achieve all my goals at GEICO because of the support system I’ve already started to gain. 

One big lesson I’ve learned was during my interview for a full time position. When I asked one of the directors I was interviewing with how he was able to quickly rise to his current position he said “It’s good to have goals but learn to be really good at your current position and the promotion will follow.” I’ve always been that person to be constantly seeking how to be a better leader and how to get to the next position up, but it’s important to focus on the tasks in front of you and be the best person you can be at that time and then your promotion will come.

I never thought I would end up in insurance. That’s the LAST place I would’ve guessed I’d end up, but this company makes it all so worth it. GEICO is all about promoting internally. They are constantly giving their associates opportunities to grow and excel in their careers. This is one of the many reasons why I believe I’ll be starting my management career with them. 

If you’re thinking about applying for a summer internship, keep some of these things in mind: 

1) CHOOSE GEICO!

2) don’t be afraid to ask questions

3) be confident in your abilities

4) be open to feedback and don’t be afraid to give it as well

5) be present and intentional

I’m so thankful to have been given this opportunity. I loved working with my mentors, coordinators, and fellow interns so much. This internship wouldn’t have been the same without them!

Being a GEICO intern has been a wonderful experience. I’ve been given so many cool opportunities to talk to higher ups in the company and work on problems to help better the company as a whole. I’m not your typical coffee running intern. I’ve been able to work in teams to come up with solutions for GEICO to use and implement. I’ve been able to make 10 new friends from all over the state of Virginia because of this program. We all started as complete strangers and now have connections with each other on a whole new level. As interns we like to go out to lunch together and sometimes on Fridays after work. We’ve all grown incredibly close over the past couple weeks and love working together. This week we’re going to the aquarium as a group and later in the week we’ll be volunteering together with Habitat for Humanity. These activities help us get to know each other and bring us closer together.

I truly feel like I’m part of the GEICO team already. We’ve met a countless number of people within the company which has helped us feel at home. We’ve met the old CEO, the current CFO, and our Region 7 VP. We’ve been able to sit and listen in on calls with many different types of agents and adjusters. Everyone is very supportive of us interns which has helped make us feel so welcomed. 

I’m currently renting an apartment in City Center. It is an awesome location and I’m having a blast with my roommate! We spend our free time going to local restaurants and going to our community pool. My favorite restaurant to go to is Kero Sushi. They have the best sushi with a great daily lunch special. 10/10 recommend! Overall, being an intern was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

Today marks week 4 of my internship. I’m already over half way done and I can confidently say that I’ve learned so much about GEICO and all the opportunities and benefits it brings to its employees and the community. As a GEICO intern I’ve been able to meet almost all of the Region 7 managers and VPs. A few times a week we’ll have a manager or supervisor from a department come in and talk to us about that department and their GEICO experience. These sessions have been impactful because we get to see how GEICO truly cares about their employees and promoting from within.

Along with meeting with managers, we are also meeting with our assigned mentors weekly. My mentor is the director of HR and I couldn’t have been more thankful for such a strong minded, ambitious, and fun mentor to look up to. She has given me such great advice over the past few weeks and has given me the confidence in knowing I’ll make a great leader someday. Between meetings with managers and mentors, we are working on weekly projects with our groups. These projects are real-time business problems that GEICO is facing. They give these tasks to us interns because they are looking for a new perspective on problems they are hoping to overcome. A lot of what I’ve learned in classes in the Luter School have helped me when working on these projects. When looking at data I have to use specific formulas I learned in Data Analytics and Management Science to help analyze the data given to me. After doing research and analysis we present these projects to all the managers, directors, AVPs, and the Regional VP. When presenting these projects it can be a bit nerve wracking with such an important audience, but I couldn’t be more thankful for taking Dr. McMahon’s Business Leadership class which taught me how to create an appealing presentation and how to properly present that presentation. Without that class I wouldn’t have gone into that first presentation as confident as I was and I wouldn’t have received that excellent feedback that I did. It is an awesome and fulfilling experience knowing they trust us with this responsibility and they hope to put our solutions into their business plans.

Lastly, when we’re not working in the office we are going on fun field trips! Last week we got to go down to Norfolk to one of the body shops that we partner with to see how our adjusters assess damaged cars to give the most accurate estimates for our policyholder’s claims. It was a cool experience to see everyone in action! We also had the opportunity to see GEICO’s new business solution “ARX 2.0”. This solution is to hopefully speed up the estimation process and cut costs. This week we get to go to a crash test site to see the test runs in action!

Overall, GEICO’s environment and culture have been nothing but uplifting, fast-paced, supportive, feedback heavy, and challenging. GEICO cares so much about its clients, employees, and the surrounding local community. This is something that you see up in the corporate office all the way down to the call center agents. It has been an awesome experience interning for such a great company.

Business Leadership Intern, GEICO

Hi there! My name is Bailey Biggs and I’m a Business Management major graduating in December 2019. I’m originally from Ashburn, VA but I’m interning in VA Beach for GEICO’s Business Leadership Internship. I found out about this great internship through one of my sorority sisters, Rachel Vera, who interned for them last summer. The CCP had one of GEICO’s top recruiters, Erin Gaines, come speak at CNU during the year to give some insight on what the internship entails and how the interview process would work. Without supportive friends and the CCP I wouldn’t have this awesome experience!

During the first week of my internship I’ve learned how important feedback is. Whether it’s “front pocket” or “back pocket” feedback, all feedback is good to hear. Receiving feedback from your peers and supervisors helps you learn, grow, and in the end, become a better leader. I can’t wait to see what these next 5 weeks have in store for me!