Senior French major Deelyn Cheng was one of 124 students chosen out of 430 applicants to participate in the UW+ Amazon Mentors Program this Spring Quarter. This experience allows UW Undergraduates to meet with a mentor from Amazon every other week during the quarter for guidance on professional development and career paths.
About her experience with the program, Deelyn said "This opportunity has helped me understand and articulate my characteristics and abilities, as well as getting a glimpse to what my future could look like. The program divided us into small groups and assigned a mentor to each group, whom we need to meet with five times throughout the quarter. Creating this intimate atmosphere creates a casual and comfortable yet in depth dialogue between the mentor and mentees. We discuss a variety of topics, from general questions about the Amazon culture, personal experiences of the mentor, and figuring how to effectively 'sell' ourselves. My mentor is extremely kind and supportive, and genuinely wants to help us succeed. Not only have I established connections with my mentor, I have made new friends along the way with those in my group!"
Even though she doesn't use her language skills in this specific program, Deelyn is "passionate about global interconnectedness" and hopes to pursue a career in which she can utilize her French skills, perhaps in an international setting where she can work closely with others.
The Amazon Mentors Program gave Deelyn and her group members the opportunity to hear firsthand experiences from someone working in a large, local, 21st-century company and to learn about how they can articulate their own experiences in the context of the job search. "Through dialogue and listening to the experiences of my mentor, I am more confident in taking the steps to transition from my college career to a professional one," Deelyn said. "Although this program doesn’t provide the opportunity to dive into a working environment, like an internship, the continuous focus on professional topics motivates me to be proactive and begin transitioning to the next stage of my life." About her Amazon mentor, Deelyn said, "Having a mentor that is only a few years older than us can be valuable because she can easily put herself in our shoes and vividly remember her college to work transition process to provide us with effective guidance."
Are you an undergraduate and interested in applying for the Amazon Mentors Program? Check out the Career Center's page about it for more information!