September 23, 2022
In turn with Filmon Futsum
Charlotte, North Carolina senior Filmon Futsum is making the most of his College of Business experience. He’s a double major – Risk Management & Insurance (RMI) and Management (Human Resources) – and Futsum is an officer in Gamma Iota Sigma, ECU’s RMI business fraternity. And, he’s taking advantage of the internship opportunities presented to him as part of the RMI program.
“Dr. Brenda Wells and Kurt Fickling run an exceptional program,” said Futsum. “They always have their students’ best interests in mind and provide opportunities for us to grow and achieve our goals, especially through Gamma Iota Sigma-hosted events.”
“Throughout the ’22 spring semester, Dr. Wells sent out internship opportunities, including one through the WSIA Diversity Foundation. The application consisted of my resume, transcript, and cover letter. I interviewed with seven companies and received numerous offers, including one from Markel.”
What were your responsibilities during your internship?
During my time at Markel, I heard from all the departments within the company. I spent most of my time shadowing all the different underwriting lines. Still, I also spent time with human resources, special investigations unit, ventures, data science, investments, IT, claims and actuaries.
I also was tasked with a project to see how cryptocurrency, NFTS and the Metaverse could play a role within the insurance industry. It was very interesting to learn more about those spaces while having the opportunity to sit down with senior-level employees and pick their brains to get as much knowledge as possible. If I did have downtime, I worked toward completing my CPCU certifications.
How did you apply what you learned in BUSI 1200, BUSI 2200, BUSI 3200 or BUSI 4200 to your internship?
The BUSI classes are a great resource to help prepare anybody for a professional career.
I learned a great deal about business acumen, which was very critical for me because this was my first experience in an office setting, and I didn’t really know what to expect.
The BUSI classes helped make it a seamless transition.
What has this internship taught you about responsibility?
As cliche as it sounds, time management has been huge for me over the summer. Throughout this internship, I’ve taken on more responsibilities: ECU COB Peer Mentor, NAAIA competition, preparing for a speaking engagement and Student Advisory Council for Gamma Iota Sigma meetings. So, being able to juggle all of that while working full-time has been difficult at times. However, I’ve been able to manage by planning ahead and communicating, which led to a productive and enjoyable summer.
How have you applied what you learned in your classwork to this position?
All the classes I took laid the foundation. In Professor Fickling’s class, he does a great job of going over all the ISO forms and relating them back to his experiences. So, when shadowing all the lines and hearing some of the risks they would identify in a submission, I would think, “what kind of form could be used for that risk?”
Why would you recommend a business student take advantage of the Gamma Iota Sigma?
It’s an amazing resource for networking. You can meet all your peers nationwide at all the conferences. It’s also an amazing tool for connecting with employers and finding a job. They have a 99% employment rate, which is phenomenal.