Published March 16, 2016
MONROE, La. — ULM 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 ULM 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
ULM!”
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 ULM’s Risk Management and Insurance
program.”
