Maricopa Community College Student Finds Career at State Farm
Brian Perez’s parents do not speak English. The 20-year-old grew up translating for them, a skill he uses in his new job with State Farm’s Customer Care Center (CCC) In Language Team at Marina Heights.
“When I speak with someone on the phone, I imagine I’m speaking to my parents and helping them,” the Phoenix employee says. “If I sense urgency in the caller’s voice, I explain I’m here to help. I say, ‘Let’s get this figured out.’”
The former Mesa Community College student says he knew nothing about insurance before joining State Farm® three months ago.
Brian, a former teen ambassador for Univision, was one of 32 students who received a $2,500 scholarship grant through the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), a State Farm priority school, according to Kara LaDuke, manager, Enterprise Philanthropy/Diversity & Inclusion at marinalink™.
“State Farm has a strong commitment to education,” says Kara. “Providing scholarships to students in need is an honor. To see Brian go from a scholarship recipient at Mesa Community College to being hired to help customers in the CCC to transferring to Arizona State University to finish his degree is what it’s all about.”
With the company’s presence in the hub cities Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta and in Du Pont, Wash., key relationships have been identified with universities and community colleges in the local areas. There are 13 priority schools between the hub cities, Tacoma and Corporate, including eight Hub Priority Schools and five Corporate Priority Schools.
For the 2018 grant cycle, State Farm provided funding for 430 scholarships to students attending these schools.
“Brian is a wonderful young man with an inspiring story,” Kara adds. “He’s one of the first scholarship recipients who has also become a State Farm employee.”
His interest in a job with the company peaked after attending a networking event for the scholarship recipients.
“A recruiter from HR spoke about the different opportunities at State Farm,” he says. “I knew I was transferring to Arizona State University, which is about a mile away from the office. I applied, and now my supervisor works my schedule around my classes.“ A State Farm market area leader spoke to our class about the opportunity to grow with State Farm. There are so many different departments and things you can do,” he adds. “The State Farm culture is different from anything I’ve ever seen. People want to help you succeed.”