Name: Elise Donkor

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Amazon

Position Title: Software Development Engineer

Major(s)/Minor(s): Computer Engineering

Expected Graduation Year: May 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I worked as a software development engineering intern for Amazon Web Service, a cloud computing service offered by Amazon.com (no, they don't just sell books!). AWS offers remote computing services such as scalable storage and delivery, analytics, and security. My specific area of work was building applications for the CloudTrail team. CloudTrail gives users the history of AWS API calls made from their account, enabling auditing, and security analysis. 

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

The application process was pretty straight forward. I applied online through their jobs and internship website. I had two 45 minute in-person technical interviews, largely stressing data structures and object oriented programming. 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Cloud computing is a hot topic right now, and AWS is incredibly innovative. Amazon offers incredibly affordable cloud computing services for students, researchers, and software developers. Everyday, they are coming up with ways to solve complex problems in a relatable way. Most teams were really busy, prepping for reInvent: Amazon’s yearly conference where they display new tools for software developers. I really enjoyed the exciting atmosphere and the exchange of ideas.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Amazon's internship program is pretty intense: from the selection process to the given assignments, they expect a lot and give you the tools and resources to make an impact. I think the guidance from my mentor and other people on my team helped me have a successful internship experience. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Go for what you want––plain and simple. Don't follow anyone else's path. Instead, carve your own. Look for jobs that are both exciting and will take you out of your comfort zone. 

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