Born in Korea, raised in the U.S., AVP Cober shares lessons learned

Dallas, Texas, May 28, 2020 –As Travis Cober, Dallas claims AVP, will tell you: a large part of professional success comes from being able to learn lessons along the way. Cober shares how his experiences have set him on the road of success. See his story, as told by him, below:

I was born in South Korea and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. How about that contrast?

I was adopted, as was my younger sister, by an American couple. My father sold insurance, and my mother was a nurse who studied and earned her master's degree while we slept. Their drive illustrates the kind of discipline and commitment that were encouraged in our home.

My parents are Caucasian. Them having two Asian kids in a small town in West Virginia made us unique. But our town did not lack diversity. I was fortunate to grow up alongside a lot of different people. Yes, there were times when I felt different and out of place, but I turned to sports to overcome those feelings. In sports, the only thing that mattered is how hard you could work.

Despite playing soccer in college, I wasn't going to be a professional soccer player and knew I had to have a Plan B.

I wanted to spend my summer at the beach, so I applied for an internship at GEICO's Virginia Beach location while I was completing my business management degree at Virginia Wesleyan. After graduating in 2008, I was recruited and joined GEICO as an emerging leader, where I rotated through sales and service assignments and all levels of claims.

I have been fortunate to have had opportunities to advance at GEICO. For me this meant having to move several times in my career – from Virginia Beach, to Buffalo, to Marlton and now Dallas. Moving can be bittersweet, as you build strong relationships and then have to leave those bonds behind. But I've viewed the moves that I've made as great opportunities to learn from others and experience different aspects of our company.

I have also been learning a lot in my personal life. My wife, Jordan, and I have an 11-month old son, Miles. We are continually learning and adjusting to balancing parenting and our careers. Learning how to become successful parents has been challenging, but fun!

I think one of the biggest keys to my professional success has been intellectual curiosity. I am always asking questions to learn more about our industry, company and competitors. I have also been lucky enough to have had influential mentors in my career who have helped teach and educate me along the way.