My internship at Amazon

Name:
Kerlin Michel

Dates of Internship:
February – July 2018

Hometown:
Florida City

Degree/Major:
Computer Science major, Math minor; Honors College

Where did you intern? What did you do there?
I interned at Amazon as a software engineer. Under Amazon Web Services (AWS), I worked on the AppSync Service.

How did you get your internship?
I applied through the company website just like anyone else and went through the interview process!

What projects did you work on?
The project I worked on was a back end-as-a-service. It was a way for users to create server applications while writing much less code.

What advice do you have for those beginning the internship process?
Apply to as many places as you can because interviewing is a skill that can be improved.

How does your internship connect back to your Honors College coursework?
I participated in the ARCH program [Advance Research and Creativity in Honors] and completed undergraduate research for a year through the Honors College. This experience helped make my resume stand out from the pack.

What is the coolest thing about your internship?
I think the coolest thing is that, even though I was an intern, the projects assigned to me had direct impact on customers. I was often forwarded emails from customers who used features that I built or worked on and that was extremely rewarding.

What did you like most about your experience?
I loved the fast-paced nature of the internship. There was always something to be done, which I loved.

What have you learned about yourself?
I learned how to have a healthy work-life balance. Actually working in the industry helped to improve my work ethic and self-discipline. I also learned that there are always ways to improve.

How have you expanded your professional network?
I now know that if I ever need professional advice, I could contact any of my former team members and they’d be happy to help.

How has this experience helped you to prove yourself in the “real world”? 
Having this internship adds to my professional experience and the fact that I did well indicates that I am ready to work in my industry at a professional level.