Day in the Life: Interning at Amazon (Tuesday Takeover)
Post is a part of the Day in the Life series – each post is written by a current UCLA Anderson student who shares their “Day in the Life”
Hi everyone! My name is Tommy Changaris and I’m honored to host today’s Tuesday Takeover for UCLA Anderson. This summer I am interning at Amazon as an intern in the Retail Leadership Development (RLD) Program. I’m originally from San Diego, CA and am actually a “Double Bruin”, having attended UCLA for my BA in Economics. Prior to returning to UCLA for my MBA, I served 4 ½ years in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. After transitioning to civilian life, I was interested in working at the intersection of tech and the retail experience, so I feel like I am really in the right spot for my internship!
5:30am: Really wanting to throw myself headfirst into the Seattle lifestyle, I bought a cheap bicycle to use for my commute during the Summer. I also like to get a workout in before work, so I’m up early and ready to bike along beautiful Lake Union to my gym near the Amazon offices in Downtown Seattle. At almost 48 degrees of latitude, Seattle enjoys over 15 hours of daylight during the Summertime, so the sun has been up long before I even begin! There are plenty of other cyclists, jogger, rowers, and paddleboarders out this morning, so even with an early start I have plenty of company.
10:00am: In an effort to promote what Amazon calls “Work-Life Harmony”, dogs are allowed and almost all of the Amazon offices (search for the hashtag #dogsofamazon on Instagram– you won’t be disappointed). One of my teammates regularly brings in her furry friend, Wally, and every so often I’ll take a little break from working on my project to play with him a little. Speaking of my project, after finishing up with Wally, I head to a one-on-one meeting with my manager for an update on my project. I’m currently trying to find ways for Amazon to better serve military members, veterans, and their families– a customer group that is near and dear to my heart and that I’m unbelievably excited to be exercising “Customer Obsession” for. I’ll be conducting a midpoint presentation soon, and I’m hoping to be as prepared as possible!
12:30pm: One of Anderson’s most important values is “Share Success” and today I’m getting lunch with a couple other RLD interns from UCLA. We all have similar roles this summer, and today we’re getting together to share our learnings so far, where each of our projects are at, and helpful people we’ve been able to connect with. There are a lot of other Anderson interns in Seattle this summer, and it’s really amazing to be surrounded by such a supportive community, even when we’re all so far away from Los Angeles.
5:30pm: Before beginning my ride home, I stop off for a quick drink with a couple of folks from my team. Amazon has a hardworking, but fun culture where I feel right at home. After a long day of work, it’s great to be able to hang out with some of my coworkers and talk about just about everything except work! Amazon employees come from all over the world and from all kinds of backgrounds, so I’ve really enjoyed getting to know as many people as possible. Thanks to the long days here, I’ve got plenty of daylight left before I get home!
Hopefully this paints a good picture of the life of an Anderson intern at Amazon, and I hope you’ve enjoyed!
— Tommy Changaris ‘20
ABOUT TOMMY
- Hometown: San Diego, CA
- Undergraduate Studies: B.A. Economics — UCLA
- Pre-Anderson: U.S. Navy
- MBA Summer Internship: Retail Leadership Development Program – Amazon
- Post-MBA Goals: Tech/E-Commerce
- Leadership@Anderson: VP of Yield and Special Projects, Admissions Ambassador Corps, VP of Admissions, Anderson Veterans Association, VP of Recruiter Relations, Marketing Association, Interview Prep Team Coach, AnderTech
- Activities@Anderson: Anderson Veterans Association, AnderTech, Admissions Ambassador Corps, Marketing Association, Outdoor Adventure Club
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