Meet Maddy Schwenk

MEET MADDY SCHWENK, IA&B SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

Agency Intern Turned Licensed Agent

Bringing new talent into the independent insurance agency system is no easy feat. But IA&B and our network of member agencies –such as Gerhart, Hartman & Ritner in Boyertown, PA – are doing our part, one young person at a time. Take for example Maddy Schwenk’s story highlighted here.

Maddy began an internship with Gerhart, Hartman & Ritner while attending Boyertown Area Senior High School. During her senior year, the agency’s HR manager told her about IA&B’s licensing study course scholarship for aspiring P&C agents. Maddy applied for and received the scholarship, which she used to attend IA&B’s July 2024 Pennsylvania P&C Licensing Study Course.

“The licensing course was a lot of information,” admits Maddy, “but that studying paid off!” She passed the state licensing exam on the first try, days after finishing the course.

“Passing the exam was such an amazing feeling! It also gave me confidence in my insurance knowledge,” she shares. “I ended up getting licensed two months after receiving my high school diploma, which is really indescribable.”

Maddy’s internship led to a full-time position with Gerhart, Hartman & Ritner, where she now works as a licensed Personal Lines Assistant. Thrilled with the “opportunity to make good money and enjoy what you do” as an independent agent, she is already setting her next goal –earning the CISR designation.

“I’m signed up for the auto course and am looking forward to scheduling more,” she says. “It’s another way to help customers by expanding my knowledge of insurance specifics. Most people don’t know what they’re looking at when they receive their insurance bills or policy, so the act of assisting people and making something simpler for them is really rewarding.”

IA&B EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

Each year IA&B awards approximately $10,000 in scholarships to individuals and member agencies toward designation, online continuing education, and licensing study courses. The program, which began in 2018, aims to develop new talent and support existing agency staff through insurance education.

Learn more and apply for the next round of scholarships. IABforME.online/scholarships

Contact: Sarah Haas at 800-998-9644, ext. 104 or SarahJ@IABforME.com