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Katie Brown ’04 (Shillington, Pa.), a double major in economics and business and history, delved into the field of insurance over the interim session between semesters as a participant in Lafayette’s Alumni Externship program, in which students spend two to five days with alumni who are seasoned professionals in business, the arts, education, healthcare, law, engineering, science, government, non-profits, and other fields.
Brown shadowed Michael Weisburger, a 1982 graduate who is president of B. and D.A. Weisburger Insurance Company, White Plains, N.Y. Weisburger Insurance Company is a full-service insurance broker offering specialized coverage in the pest control, the lawn care, landscaping, and arborist industry. It is a fourth generation family business with about 30 employees.
“Everyone was very nice to me and helpful in explaining about the business and what their jobs were,” says Brown. “Also, whenever I had a question, the employees at Weisburger never hesitated to explain something to me. Weisburger is one of the largest providers of pest insurance in the nation, but the company is very small and intimate. The people who work there act like one big family, and the environment is comfortable.”
Specifically, Brown helped send a newsletter to clients, worked on a database, and created a renewal application insurance form for clients.”I created it using the Excel program, and I even added a graphic of a bug on it,” says Brown. “I also critiqued their website and offered suggestions for improvement.”
Weisburger says that Brown was an asset to his company during the five days that she was there. She understood what was expected of her and completed her assignments to his satisfaction.
“I asked her to review the comments made by an outside consultant concerning our website,” says Weisburger. “Not only did she make constructive comments, but she also added some of her own suggestions, which were very helpful. She is extremely personable, a self-starter, takes direction very well, and is very mature.”
“Most importantly, I learned as much as possible about the business during my time there,” adds Brown.
A graduate of Governor Mifflin High School, Brown is involved in the prison tutoring program and Kids in the Community, two of 25 programs of sustained voluntary service that students conduct annually under the auspices of Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center. She is also on the committee for Experience Lafayette, an on-campus admissions program for prospective students.
Katie Brown ’04 researched the economic struggles of post-colonial Jamaica with Gladstone Hutchinson, dean of studies, and Ute Schumacher, visiting assistant professor of economics and business.