Colin McDonald '16
Major:
Marketing
Minor:
Risk Management & Insurance
Outcome Opportunity:
Co-Op
Position:
Insurance and Risk Management Advisor
Company/Organization:
Arthur J. Gallagher
Briefly describe your role and your day-to-day schedule.
"As an Insurance Broker and Risk Manager, I help businesses design an insurance program from the ground up. We implement comprehensive programs that drive safety, minimize losses and mitigate claims. Through a disciplined process, we deploy resources to identify unknown or untreated exposures, search out inefficiencies to promote savings and evaluate optimal ways to address these concerns."
How did you land your opportunity?
"If you would have told me my freshmen year at SJU that I would work in insurance after graduation, I probably would have laughed in your face. Now I cannot get enough of it. My first exposure to the insurance industry was through the Co-op Program. I did a co-op with Philadelphia Insurance Companies assisting their sales team."
What skills do you use on a daily basis in this role?
"Daily, I use many soft skills including persistence, communication, and critical thinking skills."
How did your SJU education prepare you for this role?
"SJU's Risk Management & Insurance Program helped me out more than you could imagine. Mike Angelina pushes each and every one of his students and everyday 'dares us to be great'. He was a mentor to me throughout SJU and is still a close mentor to me today. I will never forget his Property & Casualty class where we had to give a presentation in front of a panel of 4 insurance executives."
What is some advice you would offer to SJU students searching for internships or jobs?
"It is okay to take an internship that is not in your major. When I was a sophomore, I completed a co-op as a Financial Analyst. I can honestly say it wasn't for me but that is the beautiful thing about internships/co-ops. It is just as important figuring out what you do not like to do just as much as what you do like. Also it is never too early to start networking. Go to every SJU event the school offers. You never know who you will meet. Who knows, you might be talking to your future boss!"