Internship Spotlight: Sophia Fried, GEICO

Sophia Fried '23 (BSBA Business Management) was a Business Leadership Internship at GEICO in Tucson, AZ.

What type of projects do you work on?

We worked on 3 big projects for 3 different departments. One for service, claims, and human resources. We had around two to three weeks to work on each of these. We were given a problem to solve, and we had a bunch of resources provided by GEICO to gather data, interview employees, and learn as much about each department that we could.

What is your favorite part of the experience?

My favorite part of the experience was all of the people I worked with. Everyone was so welcoming to us and managers stayed true to their “open door” policy. I especially loved that everyone was so appreciative and understanding.

What do you find most challenging?

The most challenging thing about my time at GEICO was just being thrown into the world of insurance without having a lot of prior knowledge. There is a lot of technical words and acronyms that are used, so it takes a while to get used to and understand! But if you ask the right questions you can get the hang of it pretty quickly.

What advice do you have for other students looking for similar experiences?

Utilize your connections! You never know when someone you know also knows someone who could introduce you to a really good opportunity. If you are looking for work experience, take advantage of every single resource you have. It can be overwhelming and seem like a lot of work at first, but it will be so worth it.

How has Eller prepared you for this experience?

Eller has done so much to prepare me for my internship with GEICO. This was a very project-based internship that requires one to utilize teamwork and presenting skills. The first year at Eller prepared me a lot for this experience, especially BCOM 314, which helped develop my presentation abilities and professional persona. This internship just helped me hone those skills even further!