UNI Internship Program Named #1 in Country

University of Northern Iowa students are once again bringing national attention to campus. A group of 22 student interns proved that athletics aren't the only thing that UNI is known for after taking the top spot in Northwestern Mutual's national intern college team competition.

    Team Northern Iowa beat out 435 colleges and 3,000 interns.  Judging took place during the fiscal year of May 2009-May 2010 and is determined on a point scale. 

    "The outcome was determined by the number of policies sold and the amount of the premiums," said J.J. Connolly, a UNI finance graduate.

    Teams are monitored throughout the year and receive monthly reports and standings within the competition.  It was after one of those monthly reports that the Northern Iowa team decided to really push themselves.

    "At the beginning of May we were in third place and at the end of May we had jumped up two spots.  We were working hard as a group," said Matt Monaghan, a senior marketing major.  

    "UNI as a whole had times every week set aside for training sessions," Connolly said, "You didn't want to be that guy at the end of the (selling) list."

    That extra work paid off this year, as Team Northern Iowa plowed through their competition and was named No. 1 in the country. In addition to this honor, four of the members were ranked as a top-100 seller.  They include Ryan Hoover, Matt Monaghan, J.J. Connolly and Chandler Drahn.

    Northwestern Mutual, a financial planning company, has been ranked as a top 10 internship since 1997.  Northwestern Mutual provides much more than an internship for some students, including Mark Funk, a 2000 finance graduate from UNI, who end up making a career with the company.  He started an internship with Northwestern Mutual in 1999 and currently serves as the managing director for the Waterloo office.

    Connolly graduated from UNI last May and also turned his internship into a career as well.

    "I felt fortunate to have a job right after college, especially in this market, and I love what I'm doing," stated Connolly.

    The entire Northern Iowa team of interns included: Nathen Machovec, Justin Noethe, Ryan Hoover, Matt Monaghan, Amanda Mulcahy, Matt Strathman, J.J. Connolly, Neil Englehart, Stefaney Shalla, Amy Heims, Megan Cook, Bradley Jungers, Luke Leidahl, Josh Ohnemus, Jonathon Reinhart, Ryan Powell, Joshua Vogeler, Emily Elbert, Kelsey Motley, Justin Weber, Aaron Quinby and Chandler Drahn.