Ijahnay Reid ’23 is a senior double majoring in risk management & insurance and business management, with a minor in project management. On top of that, she is a student ambassador for the Barney School of Business and is the secretary of Strong Independent Sisters. She even has an internship opportunity lined up once she graduates this spring.
The Barney School of Business prepared her for career life. Reid learned to be more confident in herself while expressing her ideas to others and she also learned the rights and wrongs of a professional setting. She appreciates that Barney's professors have purposely pushed her to speak in front of groups of peers because she has now overcome her fear of public speaking.
One of her favorite aspects of the Barney experience is that professors aren’t there just to teach; they truly care about students outside of academics. “I’ve had professors reach out to me to check on me... It makes me feel good to know that there are people here who genuinely care about my journey—not just my career journey, but my life journey.” This safe environment allows students like Reid to stay productive.
Work Experience
All of Reid’s hard work and consistency led her to be hired for The Hartford Apprentice Program. It was important to her that she was working in her desired field because she will be more prepared regarding what to do and what not to do in the future.
Networking with professors and professionals has opened up Reid to several opportunities like the apprentice program in which she will be participating. What is one thing Reid urges incoming and current students to do? “Make connections! Having connections is so important, and it’s something that I wish I did my freshman year.”
Post-Graduation
After receiving her degree, Ijahnay will be starting an internship with IAT Insurance Group. She also plans on coming back to UHart and Barney to pursue her MBA. "Barney, specifically prepared me to achieve my career goals by always being there for me. I felt really supported by the faculty here and I really appreciate it. I’ve had plenty of conversations with different professors about my career paths and they always put things in different perspectives for me, they helped me think outside of the box."
Ijahnay Reid ’23, Barney School of BusinessI think Barney prepared me well for this opportunity because I’m more confident in myself when it comes to job interviews and new opportunities. At first, I was kind of nervous and felt unprepared but after taking classes like BAR 211, I feel really prepared and eager to learn.