Hi! This is Angelia Wang, a junior at SMU majoring in marketing and data science.

I have been an intern at the Gibb Agency Dallas for Summer 2022.

I am in Women in Business club at SMU and got an opportunity there to apply to the Gibb Agency. I am so glad to have had an internship position and had experience at this wonderful office.

Before I came, I only knew the customer end of the system and I have only had auto insurance service. So, I was worried and excited about learning more about insurance. I expected it to be the same as my former internship, sitting and staring at my laptop all day long. However, this internship turned out to be super fun and taught me so much, not only about insurance but also about people skills. I got the chance to shadow other employees to learn about quoting, and this one-on-one opportunity allowed me to ask as many questions as I wanted to learn more efficiently. My favorite part was using EZlynx, our agency management system, to check renewal prices and help customers. I enjoyed being able to help my colleagues get renewal information faster and be part of the insurance service. What’s more, I also got to help Susana with creating graphics and posters for our agency. This has been my hobby, and I am thankful for Susana for letting me play with graphic designs to actually help our company and giving me chances to improve my designing skill. I was able to make our brochure and testimonial posters. Other than that, I helped Susana with building up a podcast from the beginning. She always encouraged me to develop my ideas while guiding me through the right way by giving my helpful advice. We have had so many conversations, and I am always grateful for how she supported me and listened to me patiently. Although she is an excellent actress, she aces in insurance services and never feels too proud to be friendly to her employees.

Outside of each person’s individual work, we gather on Friday mornings for sales meetings, where I learned different sales and communication skills. We read the book ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ and have discussions about our takeaway during our meetings. We also learned about DISC and how to talk to customers with different personalities. Lastly, we would end by taking turns expressing how we feel and chat about our life. This is the most exciting time of every week for me because I enjoyed connecting with my colleagues, learning together, and getting to know about their personal experiences too. I always got nervous about mock conversations, but everyone encouraged me, and I really appreciate Susana’s advice. She not only teaches us important communicating skills but also told us her own stories as examples to follow. At the meeting before I came to work, I talked to Susana and expressed my interest in networking, and she took me to a networking meeting! I am so thankful to be invited to introduce myself and talk to people in various business areas. It was such a unique opportunity to meet business owners and predecessors.

My most precious memory was when Susana celebrated my birthday and bought everyone Shake Shack burgers! And her kids came to wish me happy birthday too! You cannot find a nicer boss!

I know I’ve went through a lot and I could not imagine myself learning so much during this summer too! But it’s possible at the Gibb Agency! I love how everyone was super nice and always willing to teach me. The only thing I disliked is how time flies and I need to leave and go back to school soon.. I will miss everyone!

This was the best working/learning experience. Thank you so much Gibb Agency! Thank you so much Susana!