Students interested in careers in insurance traveled to Charlotte for a company visit with The Hartford.
On Oct. 27, 10 students in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business traveled to Charlotte for a company visit with The Hartford, an insurance and financial services company.
At The Hartford, they met with Elon alum Allan Morgan ’99, who earned a degree in finance and marketing.
Morgan collaborated with the Porter Center and Love School of Business faculty to help plan the company visit.
“Insurance offers a broad range of career opportunities, and students don’t always understand the scope from the outside,” Morgan said.
Vaishali Shah, assistant teaching professor of finance, went with the students on the company visit.
“This can be an uncertain time in many students’ lives,” Shah said. “The process of applying for internships and employment is daunting and often feels impersonal. The knowledge that there are people out there who offer direct support, guidance, and care matter a great deal.”
At The Hartford, the students connected with employees from various departments during presentations, a networking lunch and a panel.
“One specific thing that stood out to me was how many jobs and divisions there were,” said Andrew Gingrich ’27, who’s majoring in finance. “When you look up the Hartford, you just see what it is at the surface, but when you go on a trip like this, you really appreciate how many pieces to the puzzle there are that goes into what makes The Hartford.”
Gingrich also enjoyed the employee benefits and leadership session with Tim Reid, regional vice president, leading group benefit sales for the company.
During the session, Reid wrote the words “vision, alignment and discipline” on the board and had students think about these in relation to their careers. This exercise helped Gingrich think about his goals in a way he hadn’t before.
“I came out of this trip motivated to make my vision happen,” Gingrich said.
Morgan echoed this sentiment and said that when alumni, students and faculty work together on opportunities like this, they can create experiences that go beyond the classroom and potentially create a vision for a student’s career.
“I hope they leave feeling enthusiastic about the possibilities in their future,” Morgan said.