Posted: Aug 03, 2018

Summer Internship Spotlight: Taylor Filbert

Summer break is about more than having fun in the sun. For a number of Simpson student-athletes, the summer months provide an opportunity to prepare for their career. This year, SimpsonAthletics.com is taking a closer look at how eight student-athletes are making the most of their summer.

Taylor Filbert

Sport: Basketball
Hometown: Olathe, Kan.
Class this Fall: Senior
Major/Minor: Economics: Finance/Computer Information Systems
Internship: Financial Advisory Intern at Compass Financial Services in West Des Moines

What are your primary responsibilities?

I conduct market research to help the advisors optimize their investment models, while shadowing and learning the ins and outs of the financial advising career.

How does this position help with your career goals?

It gives me a great opportunity to get a better grasp of the financial services industry, as I am working directly with professionals who have been in the sector for many years. Also, it helps from a technology standpoint, because I am doing a lot of work in excel and strengthening my problem-solving abilities. These new skills will definitely help me when entering my career, and hopefully strengthen my choices for post-grad work or schooling.

Did Simpson play a role in helping you get these internships? If so, how?

Very much so, Coach Bjorkgren's wife Michele actually works at Compass and notified me of the opening while at a team dinner. She helped me get into contact with the right people, and I am very thankful for that.

How has your experience as a student-athlete been helpful in this position?

Compass is a smaller firm, so using my experience from basketball working together within a team of 10-12 people has been very helpful with this internship. It feels natural and comfortable to collaborate with everyone here at Compass, because I have been doing something similar on the basketball court my whole life. There is also a sense of accountability in this company that is seen in a lot of team sports. Everyone trusts and relies on one another to perform to the best of their abilities, which I have become better at, through my years of being a student athlete.