Interning at COUNTRY Financial

I've always been told, "It's alright to step into a company this isn't directly related to agriculture." I always thought that I couldn't do that, I wouldn't enjoy it. Little did I know that when I started interning for COUNTRY Financial, they weren't directly related to agriculture. Sure they were started by a group of farmers and are a member of the Illinois Agriculture Association, but they are more. I have learned to work with many people from many different backgrounds. In fact, there are roughly two or three of us interns out of 60 that are majoring in agriculture.

During my internship, my colleagues, mentor, and supervisor have looked to me for help with agriculture related topics. I have promoted our crop specialists with releases published to county farm bureau publications, I have arranged interviews for our senior loss control representative on farm safety, I tagged along to the state FFA convention to help with interviews, I have created talking points for people interviewing about how COUNTRY Financial supports youth in agriculture, and I even have the opportunity to go to the state fair. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend.


While I have utilized my agriculture knowledge in an environment that isn't as familiar with it as I am, I have learned so much about a company that deals with issues and other events outside of agriculture. I have learned about heat safety, how to protect your home while you are vacation, and many other financial topics. I have developed content for children safety activity books that relates to fire and bike safety.


While at COUNTRY Financial, I have been able to volunteer. The first time I volunteered, we bought ingredients, made dinner, and served a meal at Safe Harbor. Safe Harbor is similar to a homeless shelter. It definitely made me feel good that day to be a part of a company like COUNTRY Financial. I was also able to volunteer with other interns at the Midwest Food Bank. We stacked pallets full of food items and I learned that I am not great at saran wrapping items.

Through my internship (so far), I have learned that you can manage to do anything you love with almost any job. There is always an opportunity.