Brianna Saylor, a senior risk management and insurance major at Eastern Kentucky University, is one of only 15 college students nationwide selected for highly competitive National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) internship program.
During the nine-week program, the Berea resident will work in both the underwriting and brokerage sides of the surplus lines marketplace. Industry leaders will guide the experience of working with actual risks – all while the students earn a generous salary, paid travel and housing, along with a stipend for incidental expenses. Interns also compete for the chance to attend the NAPSLO Annual Convention in the fall, and for additional scholarships to study in the London and Bermuda markets.
Saylor said she had wanted to apply for the NAPSLO internship for a while but had been on mission trips with Campus Outreach the last two summers. Last fall, while studying abroad at London South Bank University, she submitted her application and was contacted for a Skype interview with the NAPSLO board.
It wasn't long before she received a conditional offer with one simple question – what region did she prefer to work? “I really did not have a preference because I knew the Lord would place me right where I belonged,” said Saylor, who will learn for certain her destination in early March. For now, she is just thankful for the opportunity.
Last year, Saylor was one of only 30 students nationwide selected to participate in the prestigious Anita Benedetti Student Involvement Program – a distinction she repeated this year. After receiving the Benedetti award, she was weighing career options to find one best suited to her personal traits. At the time, that meant exploring the possibility of working in excess and surplus lines.
“At the conference in San Diego, I made connections with NAPSLO interns who encouraged me to apply for this internship,” she noted.
In addition to maintaining a 3.7 GPA (4.0 in her major), Saylor’s schedule is filled with extracurricular activities. She has served as a member of Campus Outreach, the Madison County Business and Education Partnership Committee, the Student Government Association (as director of community relations), the Future Is Now Eastern Kentucky University Expansion Committee and Alpha Omicron Pi.
The Madison Southern graduate has made the most of her time so far here at EKU. According to Debbie Ellis, an administrative assistant with the program: “Brianna is a very smart, active and fun student to have around. She is a person of high morals and commitment. I am sure she will be an asset to our program and EKU. This scholarship is very prestigious, and it could help launch a lucrative career for Brianna.”
Saylor, who plans to graduate in May, said she was “thankful for this opportunity among all the others that the Risk Management Program at EKU has provided. I have had an amazing four years at Eastern Kentucky University. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and been a part of it."
For more information about EKU’s Risk Management and Insurance Program, visit www.insurance.eku.edu.