We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s annual college scholarship program! This is an exciting milestone as 2023 marks our 20th year providing these awards.
Sixteen $3,000 scholarships were recently awarded to high school seniors and current undergraduate students – including eight to children and/or grandchildren of our distribution partners and eight to children and/or grandchildren of Intact employees.
The winning recipients were selected based on criteria including their academic performance, leadership roles and participation in school, as well as community activities. The program is administered by Scholarship America®, a nonprofit scholarship program administrator, and funded by our Charitable Trust.
The awards will apply toward the 2023-2024 academic year. Congratulations and best wishes to all the winners!
We are pleased to wrap up this year’s intern spotlight series! This week we introduce interns Lor See Lor, Michael Andrev and Anna Relopez.
Lor See Lor
Lor joins us as an internal audit intern. She was born in Thailand but is currently residing in St. Paul, Minnesota where she is attending the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
She joined Intact because she was interested in the industry and the position was exactly what she was looking for. The most unique thing about Lor is that she’s left-handed and loves it! If she was shipwrecked on a deserted island, with all human needs—such as food and water—and two items of her choice, she would bring her dog and her partner.
Michael Andrev
Michael is a Quantitative Analyst Intern in our Investment Management team. He is from Minnetrista, Minnesota (west of Minneapolis), and is attending University of Minnesota.
He was attracted to Intact because he has friends who are currently interning at the company and enjoy working here. Furthermore, he feels that Intact is a well-established company that has a long history of employee satisfaction.
If he had a chance to go anywhere in the world, he would love to go to Lucerne, Switzerland because “it is a place of beauty, history, and many natural trails”. The last book he read was Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Michael loves to learn new skills and gain knowledge of a variety of different fields. If he was shipwrecked on a deserted island, with all human needs—such as food and water—and two items of his choice, he would bring his Breitling Emergency II wristwatch so he’s able to send SOS signals throughout the planet for 24 hours in order to be rescued, and a First Aid Kit!
Anna Relopez
Anna is interning in our Finance department. She is from St. Michael, Minnesota and is attending College of St. Benedict. Through this internship, Anna is interested in developing her understanding of the financial and business industry and its impact on global business.
If she could go anywhere in the world, she would travel to Paris, France to visit the Eiffel Tower and experience French culture. The last television show she watched was The Crown on Netflix and highly recommends it!
Best of luck Lor, Michael and Anna! We look forward to working with you and being a part of your career development.
In continuation of our intern spotlight series, this week we are pleased to introduce Juliana Cooney, Oscar Lahti and Matthew Lehr – who have all joined our Actuarial department.
Juliana “Julie” Cooney
A student at the University of St. Thomas, Julie is from Lakeville, MN. “I joined Intact because I enjoyed interacting with my interviewers and knew I would love the culture and energy of the company,” she says.
If Julie had a chance to go anywhere in the world, she would visit the south of France. The last book she read was One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle and recommends it to anyone looking for a nice summer read!
Oscar Lahti
Oscar is also attending the University of St. Thomas and is from Frederic, WI – which is about 1.5 hours’ drive northeast of the Twin Cities.
“My interest in the property and casualty space combined with the diverse industries served at Intact led me to take this internship. Throughout the interview process, the people I met seemed genuine and gave me the belief that it would be a great working environment,” he says.
If Oscar had a chance to go anywhere in the world, he would visit the city where the next World Cup is being hosted. “Watching the World Cup in South America would be particularly cool,” he says.
We asked Oscar if he was shipwrecked on a deserted island with food and water, what two items would he want to have with him: he says a soccer ball and a football!
Matthew Lehr
Born and raised in the Minneapolis area, Matthew is currently attending the University of Minnesota. “The main draw for me in this internship was that Intact is a large and recognized company. The U.S. offices are small and so it promotes a collaborative environment,” he says.
If Matthew had a chance to go anywhere in the world, he would visit New Zealand to experience the beautiful scenery, especially the mountains and stunning coasts. The last television show he watched was House of the Dragon and the last book he read was The Metamorphosis by Kafka.
Best of luck Juliana, Oscar and Matthew! We look forward to working with you and being a part of your career development.
We are pleased to continue our intern spotlight series! This week we introduce underwriting interns Kevin Schultz, Abigail Hawksworth and Skyler Meulemans.
Kevin Schultz
Kevin is an underwriting intern with our Highlands Insurance team. He’s from Elmhurst, Illinois and is currently attending Illinois State University. He decided to join Intact because he wanted “to get quality underwriting experience in the realm of property insurance.” He loves to travel and if he had a chance to go anywhere in the world, he would go hiking in the Swiss Alps. A unique fact about Kevin is that he has a vast knowledge of world geography. He is familiar with most areas and when he meets people from the U.S and abroad, on almost all occasions, he has heard of the city/town they’re from!
The last TV show he watched was Better Call Saul. If he was ever deserted in an island with food and water and two items of his choice, he would bring his favorite guitar and a bike.
Abigail “Abby” Hawksworth
Abigail is also as an underwriting intern in the Highland Insurance team. She is from Mokena, Illinois – a suburb located 30 miles southwest of Chicago, and is studying at Indiana University.
Abby’s father inspired her to join Intact’s internship program. He is a reinsurance broker and Highland is one of his clients. “I thought insurance would be fun industry to do an internship in and given that my father works with Highland, there are some familiar faces in this office! she says.
Abby loves to travel and has visited 34 states in the U.S.! If she had a chance to travel anywhere, she would choose somewhere abroad – like Greece or Italy. “I don’t watch much TV, but I do love to read. I recently read a trilogy called Delirium, by Lauren Oliver. This sparked my love for reading again. I have been on a reading streak ever since,” she says.
“Being stranded on an island is a nightmare of mine, but if I had to bring something with me besides water and food, I would choose my 2 dogs. My Silver Lab and Australian Shepherd are my best buds. They would keep me company while deserted,” she adds.
Skyler Meulemans
Skyler joins Kevin and Abby as an underwriting intern with Highlands Insurance in our Naperville, IL office. She is from De Pere, Wisconsin and is attending University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She joined Intact’s internship program as it gave her an opportunity to move to another city. She also felt that the company culture and the environment are very inviting. The last TV show she watched was the Night Agent on Netflix.
Best of luck Kevin, Abigail and Skyler! We look forward to working with you and being a part of your career development.
L-R: Kevin Schultz, Abigail Hawksworth and Skyler Meulemans
In continuation of our intern spotlight series, this week we are pleased to introduce Maya Makked, Shreevara Andila, Kuangfei Long and Harriel Patilano – who have all joined our IT department.
Maya Makked
Maya is from Salem, Virginia and is attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She tells us why she decided to join Intact – “The company culture seems very supportive. Intact does not have one vision in mind for its interns, but rather, recognizes a different purpose for each intern. I also like the variety within the projects themselves,” she says.
The last book Maya read was Who I Was With Her by Nita Tyndall. According to her the book was an easy but impactful read. It tackled heavy issues of being in the closet and death of a significant person.
Maya says that “I am just as much a computer science girl as I am a writer girl. I love coding as well as writing poetry, songs, album reviews, journal entries, and more. I actually do not view the two disciplines as very different from each other and find a lot of similarities. They both involve a lot of creative and detailed thinking!” she says.
Shreevara Andila
Shreevara is originally from Mangalore – a city in the state of Karnataka, India. He is studying at Binghamton University, New York.
“I was attracted to Intact because of its reputation in the IT industry. I am eager to learn from the best and to gain experience in a fast-paced and innovative environment. I also like Intact’s culture of collaboration and its commitment to diversity and inclusion. I believe that these values will create a positive and supportive work environment for me to grow and develop my skills. I look forward to learning from experienced professionals and I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others,” he says.
If given a chance to go anywhere in the world, Shreevara would love to explore more of India. “India is my home country, but there is still so much to discover within its borders. From the ancient temples that hold centuries of history and cultural significance to the mesmerizing symbolism found throughout the country, India offers a wealth of experiences and sights that are waiting to be explored,” he says.
“One of the fascinating destinations I would love to visit within India is the state of Tamil Nadu. It boasts an incredible collection of ancient temples. From the towering gopurams of the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai to the intricately carved halls of the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu is a treasure trove of architectural wonders and spiritual experiences,” he adds.
The last television show he watched was Person of Interest. He enjoyed the show’s premise of a team of people using artificial intelligence to prevent crimes. According to him, the characters were complex and well-developed, and the storylines were engaging. The show delves into themes of surveillance, AI and moral ambiguity, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
Kuangfei Long
A student at Boston University, Kuangfei is originally from Shanghai, China. “Intact has a reputation in the insurance industry, which presents huge opportunities in data analysis and model developing. I believe that doing an internship at Intact would be the best fit for my professional and personal growth,” he says.
Given a chance to go anywhere in the world, Kuangfei would like to go to the Shōren-in, a temple in Kyoto, Japan. “The beautiful garden and slow pace of life will suit me well,” he says.
He is currently following the Champions League, supporting his favorite team, Real Madrid.
Harriel Patilano
Harriel has joined Intact as a Digital and Emerging Technology intern in our IT department. She is from Queens, New York, and is attending Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
“Intact’s welcoming and team-oriented culture attracted me to this internship. The company showcases a passion for nurturing and cultivating their interns and employees!” she says. If she could go anywhere in the world, Harriel would visit her home city, Cagayan de Oro, in the Philippines.
Best of luck Maya, Shreevara, Kuangfei and Harriel! We look forward to working with you and being a part of your career development.
Top to Bottom (L-R): Maya Makked, Shreevara Andila, Kuangfei Long and Harriel Patilano
