Student Spotlight: Cole Van Wyhe

Agricultural business senior Cole Van Wyhe not only had an amazing internship experience with Global Ag Insurance Services this past summer in its claims operations department, but also has started working for them full-time while he also finishes final year of classes.

Learn more about this Clovis native who is looking to branch out into the agricultural chemical treatment or other areas in this recent interview. 

Q: Talk about your summer internship and what types of tasks you did generally?

Van Wyhe: "As a claims adjuster, I was the company’s eyes in the field who performed thorough inspections on a variety of crops throughout the state. I assessed damage on crops from all types of perils and reported to my supervisors with my findings. It was a great place to work, and many of my coworkers were Fresno State alumni. They made me feel right at home and on the right professional track."

 

Q: What skills or experiences did you gain from the internship that they can apply to your career?"

Van Wyhe: "This internship gave me many new skills and experiences including crop recognition, farm practice understanding, and insurance/market analysis. Since our company deals with more than 80 crops, I was able to become familiar with a variety of commodities. This familiarity will make me that much more knowledgeable for whatever the future may hold."

 

Q: Describe the types of clients you worked with typically?

Van Wyhe: "The claims department and I dealt mostly with farm managers and growers. Meeting with our clients gave us the information needed to complete appraisals and inspections. We were constantly in touch with our growers resulting in good relationships and a very stress-free insurance process."

 

Q: After graduation, what's your potential next career step?

Van Wyhe: "My ideal career goal is to become a pest control adviser or crop chemical salesman for a crop chemical company such as Helena or Simplot. In the meantime, I was given a full-time position with Global Ag and will continue to work with them until graduation."

 

Q: What is your background in agriculture and do you have any related ties or interests?

Van Wyhe: "Since I was a kid I have been exposed to many forms of agriculture. My uncle is a beef cattle rancher who runs more than ten thousand head of cattle and also farms citrus, almonds, pistachios, and olives. Since I can remember I have always been on his property helping out and learning as much as I could. I am also an avid hunter who loves to be outdoors and a career in agriculture helps put me there."