Name: Shalyn Bagley
Hometown: Marysvale, UT
Major: Accounting
EDGE Track: Leadership
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Internship at Leavitt Group Enterprises
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My project began when I was offered an internship as a Regional Controller's Assistant at The Leavitt Group. The Leavitt Group is a well-known insurance broker, owning 40 percent or more of many insurance agencies across the United States. The internship that I was offered allowed me to be involved in the accounting operations for those agencies. During this internship I was able to work closely with company controllers at LGE headquarters as well as staff accountants that work at the LGE Accounting Center. Through working with these employees I was able to gain knowledge and experience in the field of accounting.
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During my internship I was able to complete day-to-day accounting tasks such as creating journal entries, running reports, and doing projects for controllers. I was able to work 20-30 hours per during this internship. One of the perks of the internship was that I was able to hold the position up until I had graduated from Southern Utah University. I was also able to work with other RCA's who were in the accounting program at SUU and created life long friendships with them. This internship was a really great experience for me.
During the beginning of my Sophomore year I was having a difficult time deciding on what I should major in. When I finally decided on accounting my brother in law mentioned that there were positions open at The Leavitt Group for RCA's. He also was an RCA while he was going to college and told me how great of an opportunity it was for him. That is when I decided to apply for the internship. When I was offered the position I realized it would be a great EDGE project.
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There were a few challenges that occurred during the course of my project. The first challenge was that it was a position that I had to apply for. It was a long hiring process for this position and I had to go through two rounds of interviews and a short bank reconciliation simulation before I was offered the job. Since it was such a long process I had to miss a day of class to make time for the interviews. Another challenge that I ran into during my project was making time for work between school and homework.
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This project did not only benefit me, but it also benefited the company that I interned for. As an RCA I was often assigned work that was long, hard, and tedious. These assignments were usually projects that other employees didn't have enough time to complete themselves before the deadline. By completing these projects I was able to help employees make time for more pressing issues. I believe that the work I was able to complete for this company was very beneficial for them.
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From this project I was able to put what I had learned about accounting in school to practical use in real life situations. I gained knowledge and skills that I will be able to use in my future career. I also gained experience that will look great on job applications that will help me to set myself apart from other accounting students looking for jobs after graduation. Not only did I learn about accounting, but I also learned a great deal about insurance which could be very beneficial for my future. I also gained many friendships and I was able to work with a lot of really awesome people.
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“I believe that this experience will be helpful for deadlines in my future career.”
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"During my internship I was able to apply what I learned about that topic in class in a real life situation."
