On May 18, 2024, I flew from Washington State to Cedar Rapids to begin my summer experience. I settled into my apartment in the Cedar Rapids area to stay close to my workplace. My dad came along for the first week to help with settling in.
In late May, I started my internship journey with Northwestern Mutual (NM) as a college financial representative. All the interns from the Coralville office joined those at the Cedar Rapids office for training. During the first two weeks, we had daily training sessions covering every aspect of the job. We started by discussing the company's values and our mission to help others. Throughout the training, we met multiple advisors who we'll be working with during joint work this summer. Toward the end of the training, we discussed our goals and the steps needed to achieve them, ensuring our coaches can help us stay on track. We also took headshots, as you can see mine to the right. Overall, the first two weeks have set us up for success, and as interns, we feel ready to kick off Monday morning by starting to build our financial practices.
Unfortunately, I faced some licensing issues these past two weeks, preventing me from fully participating in all the activities other interns were doing. However, I'm hopeful that by Monday, I'll be able to catch up and dive in.
The team at NM has been incredibly supportive and nothing short of amazing. They offer all the help we need and fill any gaps that arise. Their positive attitude and love for fun make this a great work environment, and I look forward to the rest of the summer at NM.
Outside of work, I've established an evening routine. I head down to the college every night for a workout or some conditioning with some fellow teammates who are staying on campus this summer. Then I get back to the apartment and cook dinner while also finding the time to work on my Spanish summer class that is fully online. To end the night I tend to do some reading. Over the long weekend though, I had the opportunity to go to St. Louis to watch the Seattle Sounders take on St. Louis City SC. I then dropped off my dad at the airport and came back to Cedar Rapids. This was my last travel weekend until July when family comes over to visit.
Cheers,
Krystin Kamrath