Intern Spotlight

A good internship provides a student the opportunity to work on real projects, which is why Niko chose Protective Insurance. “I love the fact that I’m always busy working on projects and doing meaningful work for the company,” he shared.

Protective’s interns are made to feel like a part of the family. Niko shared his experience working with his team, saying, “I have an extremely helpful supervisor who is always willing to answer my questions.” Although there was an added bonus of being close to home, Niko ultimately chose Protective because of the environment. “Everyone that I met at the company was nice and easy going. Overall, it just has a great culture,” he shared.

Niko feels that the experience Protective is providing him will be extremely beneficial in his career. “Working at Protective is not only helping me gain a better understanding of accounting, but it’s also allowing me to develop hard skills that are transferable and will help me in the future,” he stated.

Niko Teo is currently working as a summer intern in the Finance & Accounting Department. He is a junior at Purdue University studying accounting and finance, and is set to graduate in May 2022.

Selecting an internship that matches your needs is crucial and Jessica feels that Protective Insurance’s program aligns with her career goals. “The program, resources and environment really fit me,” she shared.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Protective’s interns have had to adjust to working at home, but the company has done all it can to ensure a smooth transition. Jessica expressed, “The biggest thing I have learned so far is how to be adaptable.” She explains how this will help her in the future by sharing, “It has been a big change from anything I have ever done, but in the future I will be able to explain how I handled difficult situations that required change.” Jessica was equipped with useful tools and clear communication from the company. This is a prime example of how Protective does all it can to prepare its interns for the workforce.

Jessica is grateful that Protective has continued to dedicate resources to interns despite the pandemic. “Everyone is so easy to reach and willing to help,” she shared.

Jessica Davis is greatly enjoying her experience so far. She is currently working as an intern in the Internal Audit Department. Jessica is studying accounting at Butler University and is set to graduate in December 2020.

For Josh, Protective Insurance is providing a unique opportunity to gain hands-on knowledge of his industry during his internship. “If I were to describe my experience with Protective in one word it would be ‘insightful.’ I have gained real-world experiences of what an attorney does each day at work, which is vastly different than reading about it in a casebook,” he explained.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Protective has worked hard to uphold their commitment to a top-notch internship program. In order to allow the interns to work from home, the company provided each of them with a laptop, dual monitors, a docking station and all of the supplies that go along with it.

Josh explained how being out of the office has not stopped him from networking. “As a second year law student and an aspiring attorney, Protective has allowed me to expand my professional network by working with a team of attorneys,” he stated. Josh explained that clear communication is the key to overcoming the challenge of being apart, by sharing, “the team I am on has virtual meetings every week so we can catch up with everyone.”

Josh is thankful to Protective for all of the knowledge he is gaining. “Protective has helped me improve my research skills and writing techniques which will help me become a more skilled attorney in the future,” he said.

Josh Khalili is a legal intern and law clerk in the Legal Department. He is currently a second year law student at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Many people in the insurance industry don’t get their undergraduate degree in the field; Nick is an exception. As a student studying risk management & insurance, he feels that his internship with Protective Insurance has given him a jump start on his future career. “When I go into my career I will already possess a lot of safety knowledge because of what I’ve learned during the projects I have been working on,” he shared.

Protective provides a unique internship experience, far beyond fetching coffee for your coworkers. Nick is thankful for this opportunity, as he has been able to work on many projects that will benefit him. He explained, “I think one thing that is unique about my internship so far is the flexibility. I’ve had to work with many different departments on a variety of projects within Protective. In other internship programs you might be stuck doing one thing the whole summer.”

Nick has also enjoyed working with his coworkers this summer and has felt like a valuable member of the team. “Protective has strong leadership who act like mentors throughout the internship. They are always willing to teach you new things and encourage you to come up with ideas that can better the company,” he expressed. Nick Chapin is currently working as an intern in the Loss Prevention & Safety Services Department. He is a senior at Ball State University.

Nick hopes to work for an insurance company after graduation.

A summer internship is the perfect time to learn about what interests you, which is exactly why Allyssa chose Protective Insurance. “A lot of what I have learned in the classroom has dealt mostly with life and health insurance. I sought after this opportunity for exposure to the transportation industry,” she explained.

Another major draw to the company was Protective’s willingness to adapt. She explains, “I love how Protective is a smaller company that is proactively changing and improving. Seeing these changes daily is helpful to understand how the industry works.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Protective’s employees are working from home, including the interns. Allyssa described how this experience has been for her, sharing, “I have been teaching myself to be more disciplined to ensure I am learning the most from my experience.” Although she is only a few weeks in, Allyssa feels she has gained a lot through her internship already. “Protective has helped put into perspective what skills are important to keep practicing and learning,” she stated. “I’m so grateful for this internship experience.”

Allyssa Sorenson is currently working as an intern in the Actuarial Department. She is studying actuarial science with minors in finance, mathematics & statistics. Allyssa is a junior at the University of Indianapolis.

A good internship program places learning at the forefront, which is why Will feels that his experience with Protective Insurance has been excellent. “I would definitely recommend this internship program to other potential interns because of how much you are able to learn along the way. Protective provides interns with so many learning paths that make it easy to grow in your career,” he shared.

At Protective, interns are given projects that benefit the company, but also help them to build their personal portfolio while giving them tangible skills. This summer, Will has been working on creating an Employee Engagement and Retention plan for the upcoming year. “This is great experience for my future career because it allows me to be creative and potentially make a huge impact on the company,” Will explained.

Although Will and the other interns have not been able to be in the office this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been able to clearly see the company’s strong culture of community. He explained, “I have never worked in an environment where all my co-workers are close with one another. They have made it easy it is to build relationships.” Will feels that this makes Protective a great place to work. “This is what sets Protective apart.”

Will Kirchmer is currently working as a talent acquisition intern for the Human Resources Department. He is a senior at Indiana University studying human resource management. Will is set to graduate in May of 2021.