Why Hire An Intern: Students Share Their Insurance Industry Experiences
Wed Jan 28 2026
On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we feature an installment from Invest’s “Why Hire an Intern” series.
Host Johanna Holling, volunteer relations program manager at Invest, chats with three insurance industry interns and Invest scholarship winners: Blake Bartos, a finance and risk management student at Florida State University; Ben Graham, a math student at Stanford University; and Rhania Suarez, an accounting student at the University of Central Florida.
Together, they share their firsthand experiences interning in the insurance industry and how meaningful internship programs can lead to full-time careers.
“If I wasn’t doing something right or struck out 100 times in a row, he [mentor] was there to push me and keep me going and provide that feedback that is honest and needed … that’s the only way I was going to get better,” Bartos says.
Invest is an education and scholarship program, helping students discover insurance careers while connecting independent agents with future talent.
Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.
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On this episode of Agency Nation Radio, we feature an installment from Invest’s “Why Hire an Intern” series. Host Johanna Holling, volunteer relations program manager at Invest, chats with three insurance industry interns and Invest scholarship winners: Blake Bartos, a finance and risk management student at Florida State University; Ben Graham, a math student at Stanford University; and Rhania Suarez, an accounting student at the University of Central Florida. Together, they share their firsthand experiences interning in the insurance industry and how meaningful internship programs can lead to full-time careers. “If I wasn’t doing something right or struck out 100 times in a row, he [mentor] was there to push me and keep me going and provide that feedback that is honest and needed … that’s the only way I was going to get better,” Bartos says. Invest is an education and scholarship program, helping students discover insurance careers while connecting independent agents with future talent. Agency Nation Radio is where insurance professionals turn on the mic and share unscripted stories about leadership, technology, marketing, success and failure—stories that helped make them the professionals they are today. From Main Street USA to the pages of Independent Agent magazine—we’ve got the stories you want to hear. For more, catch Agency Nation Radio on your favorite streaming platform or visit iamagazine.com/podcasts.