Unique opportunities for Align students bring new CS perspectives to Amazon Web Services
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Unique opportunities for Align students bring new CS perspectives to Amazon Web Services
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Unique opportunities for Align students bring new CS perspectives to Amazon Web Services
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Unique opportunities for Align students bring new CS perspectives to Amazon Web Services
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Fri 04.14.23 / Madelaine Millar
Wayne Duso, vice president of engineering and product at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was well aware of the importance of diversity in driving innovation. So while he saw the value that classically trained software engineers brought to the table, he also saw that adding more people who thought the same way he did wouldn’t generate the radical innovation that AWS needed. So Duso turned to Khoury College’s Align program — a computer science master’s program for students who didn’t study CS as undergrads — to find people who weren’t like him.
“When you look at the Align program, you’re not simply bringing in another set of trained engineers,” Duso said. “You’re bringing folks who have a different set of perspectives, a different set of experiences. They bring a fresh understanding.”
Now entering its fourth year, the partnership between AWS and Khoury College provides mentorship and support to Align students from any of Northeastern’s network campuses, and prepares them to apply for AWS’ Software Development Engineering internship. Any Align student involved in the partnership program is guaranteed the opportunity to complete the first step in AWS’s intern hiring process: an online technical screening. Those who pass the screening go on to a technical and behavioral interview with an AWS engineer, and if they pass that as well, they are offered an internship the following summer. After the internship, if the Aligner is offered and accepts a full-time, post-graduation position with AWS, the company will fund the student’s final semester tuition and provide a living stipend.
Align students — 54 percent of whom were women in 2022, and all of whom come from nontraditional academic backgrounds — face a high barrier to entry when transitioning to tech. Gaining experience doing software development engineering for AWS provides an enormous boost over that first professional hurdle.
In return, AWS can build a pipeline of workers with skills in everything from chemistry to English literature in addition to their technical CS skills. Brecka Fetzer, the business program manager who oversees the partnership from AWS’s side, called out the creative perspectives, writing and communication skills, and baseline comfort in the business world as specific strengths Align students bring to their AWS work.
“Our collaboration with Northeastern was one of the first ones we built from the ground up, and I’m super proud of it,” Fetzer said. “We heard a lot of folks going through the Align program were initially intimidated by AWS; they were scared to apply, they didn’t think they could do it … We really wanted to show them that there was an opportunity for them if they kept going. Take that leap, jump in, and we’re here for you on the other side.”
Hasti Gheibi Dehnashi participated in the first year of the partnership, and after graduating in 2021, is back at AWS as an entry-level software development engineer. The funding AWS offered during her final semester strongly influenced her to join the company full-time.
“It makes me feel seen and heard and valued,” Dehnashi said of AWS’s support. “I think working alongside so many brilliant people, it’s easy to slip into a sense of being an impostor, especially being that I don’t have much experience. But knowing that AWS is here to invest and support me really makes me feel that I am a valuable addition.”
The partnership also helped to abate Julie Rakas’s impostor syndrome. After doing her undergraduate work in math and physics, Rakas moved to Align, and accepted a software development engineering internship with AWS.
“Impostor syndrome is such a big thing in this field, and especially coming to a company like Amazon,” Rakas said. “What helped me was this partnership with Khoury College. I was preparing for this internship well before it even started, and I was receiving support. Once I got here, I also felt super supported by my team and I was really comfortable asking questions.”
READ: How Aligner LeAnn Mendoza kicked impostor syndrome in her transition to data science
Being set up well to explore the computer science industry and succeed in whatever niche he selected was most meaningful for Rachit Mehta, an Align student with a biology background. Mehta is now working on a software development engineering internship with AWS, and enjoys learning outside the classroom.
“I thought software engineering was just making websites, but then I learned more — about data science, cybersecurity, web development in general, back end, front end, full stack. All of those things that were just buzzwords to me, I can finally understand, digest, and see what I’m interested in,” Mehta said. “Align is great because it positioned me within computer science and the tech industry more than I think another program would have.”
Both Rakas and Mehta recently accepted full-time roles with AWS, which they will begin after they graduate later this year. Mary Trimarco, Khoury College program manager and Align’s director of strategic partnerships, is deeply gratified by how well Align and AWS have meshed.
“Align has provided a unique — and previously unavailable — path to CS for students with backgrounds in business, sociology, biology, law, theater, journalism, medicine,” Trimarco said. “It’s an amazing diversity of background that provides employers with incredible technical talent and an underpinning of whichever degree or work experience the Aligner brings.”
“This has been nothing but successful; we’re showing great retention, extending many post-grad offers, and the folks that are coming through are exceeding our hiring bar,” Fetzer said. “The quality of candidates is staying high, and it’s allowing us to build upon that program year over year.”
Three years in and surrounded by diverse perspectives, Duso can’t recommend partnering with the Align program highly enough — and he has some advice for other employers about how to make the most of the partnership.
“Figure out how to adapt it for your world and your culture, then engage and meet the candidates where they are,” Duso said. “You’ll be successful.”
Wayne Duso, vice president of engineering and product at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was well aware of the importance of diversity in driving innovation. So while he saw the value that classically trained software engineers brought to the table, he also saw that adding more people who thought the same way he did wouldn’t generate the radical innovation that AWS needed. So Duso turned to Khoury College’s Align program — a computer science master’s program for students who didn’t study CS as undergrads — to find people who weren’t like him.
“When you look at the Align program, you’re not simply bringing in another set of trained engineers,” Duso said. “You’re bringing folks who have a different set of perspectives, a different set of experiences. They bring a fresh understanding.”
Now entering its fourth year, the partnership between AWS and Khoury College provides mentorship and support to Align students from any of Northeastern’s network campuses, and prepares them to apply for AWS’ Software Development Engineering internship. Any Align student involved in the partnership program is guaranteed the opportunity to complete the first step in AWS’s intern hiring process: an online technical screening. Those who pass the screening go on to a technical and behavioral interview with an AWS engineer, and if they pass that as well, they are offered an internship the following summer. After the internship, if the Aligner is offered and accepts a full-time, post-graduation position with AWS, the company will fund the student’s final semester tuition and provide a living stipend.
Align students — 54 percent of whom were women in 2022, and all of whom come from nontraditional academic backgrounds — face a high barrier to entry when transitioning to tech. Gaining experience doing software development engineering for AWS provides an enormous boost over that first professional hurdle.
In return, AWS can build a pipeline of workers with skills in everything from chemistry to English literature in addition to their technical CS skills. Brecka Fetzer, the business program manager who oversees the partnership from AWS’s side, called out the creative perspectives, writing and communication skills, and baseline comfort in the business world as specific strengths Align students bring to their AWS work.
“Our collaboration with Northeastern was one of the first ones we built from the ground up, and I’m super proud of it,” Fetzer said. “We heard a lot of folks going through the Align program were initially intimidated by AWS; they were scared to apply, they didn’t think they could do it … We really wanted to show them that there was an opportunity for them if they kept going. Take that leap, jump in, and we’re here for you on the other side.”
Hasti Gheibi Dehnashi participated in the first year of the partnership, and after graduating in 2021, is back at AWS as an entry-level software development engineer. The funding AWS offered during her final semester strongly influenced her to join the company full-time.
“It makes me feel seen and heard and valued,” Dehnashi said of AWS’s support. “I think working alongside so many brilliant people, it’s easy to slip into a sense of being an impostor, especially being that I don’t have much experience. But knowing that AWS is here to invest and support me really makes me feel that I am a valuable addition.”
The partnership also helped to abate Julie Rakas’s impostor syndrome. After doing her undergraduate work in math and physics, Rakas moved to Align, and accepted a software development engineering internship with AWS.
“Impostor syndrome is such a big thing in this field, and especially coming to a company like Amazon,” Rakas said. “What helped me was this partnership with Khoury College. I was preparing for this internship well before it even started, and I was receiving support. Once I got here, I also felt super supported by my team and I was really comfortable asking questions.”
READ: How Aligner LeAnn Mendoza kicked impostor syndrome in her transition to data science
Being set up well to explore the computer science industry and succeed in whatever niche he selected was most meaningful for Rachit Mehta, an Align student with a biology background. Mehta is now working on a software development engineering internship with AWS, and enjoys learning outside the classroom.
“I thought software engineering was just making websites, but then I learned more — about data science, cybersecurity, web development in general, back end, front end, full stack. All of those things that were just buzzwords to me, I can finally understand, digest, and see what I’m interested in,” Mehta said. “Align is great because it positioned me within computer science and the tech industry more than I think another program would have.”
Both Rakas and Mehta recently accepted full-time roles with AWS, which they will begin after they graduate later this year. Mary Trimarco, Khoury College program manager and Align’s director of strategic partnerships, is deeply gratified by how well Align and AWS have meshed.
“Align has provided a unique — and previously unavailable — path to CS for students with backgrounds in business, sociology, biology, law, theater, journalism, medicine,” Trimarco said. “It’s an amazing diversity of background that provides employers with incredible technical talent and an underpinning of whichever degree or work experience the Aligner brings.”
“This has been nothing but successful; we’re showing great retention, extending many post-grad offers, and the folks that are coming through are exceeding our hiring bar,” Fetzer said. “The quality of candidates is staying high, and it’s allowing us to build upon that program year over year.”
Three years in and surrounded by diverse perspectives, Duso can’t recommend partnering with the Align program highly enough — and he has some advice for other employers about how to make the most of the partnership.
“Figure out how to adapt it for your world and your culture, then engage and meet the candidates where they are,” Duso said. “You’ll be successful.”
Wayne Duso, vice president of engineering and product at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was well aware of the importance of diversity in driving innovation. So while he saw the value that classically trained software engineers brought to the table, he also saw that adding more people who thought the same way he did wouldn’t generate the radical innovation that AWS needed. So Duso turned to Khoury College’s Align program — a computer science master’s program for students who didn’t study CS as undergrads — to find people who weren’t like him.
“When you look at the Align program, you’re not simply bringing in another set of trained engineers,” Duso said. “You’re bringing folks who have a different set of perspectives, a different set of experiences. They bring a fresh understanding.”
Now entering its fourth year, the partnership between AWS and Khoury College provides mentorship and support to Align students from any of Northeastern’s network campuses, and prepares them to apply for AWS’ Software Development Engineering internship. Any Align student involved in the partnership program is guaranteed the opportunity to complete the first step in AWS’s intern hiring process: an online technical screening. Those who pass the screening go on to a technical and behavioral interview with an AWS engineer, and if they pass that as well, they are offered an internship the following summer. After the internship, if the Aligner is offered and accepts a full-time, post-graduation position with AWS, the company will fund the student’s final semester tuition and provide a living stipend.
Align students — 54 percent of whom were women in 2022, and all of whom come from nontraditional academic backgrounds — face a high barrier to entry when transitioning to tech. Gaining experience doing software development engineering for AWS provides an enormous boost over that first professional hurdle.
In return, AWS can build a pipeline of workers with skills in everything from chemistry to English literature in addition to their technical CS skills. Brecka Fetzer, the business program manager who oversees the partnership from AWS’s side, called out the creative perspectives, writing and communication skills, and baseline comfort in the business world as specific strengths Align students bring to their AWS work.
“Our collaboration with Northeastern was one of the first ones we built from the ground up, and I’m super proud of it,” Fetzer said. “We heard a lot of folks going through the Align program were initially intimidated by AWS; they were scared to apply, they didn’t think they could do it … We really wanted to show them that there was an opportunity for them if they kept going. Take that leap, jump in, and we’re here for you on the other side.”
Hasti Gheibi Dehnashi participated in the first year of the partnership, and after graduating in 2021, is back at AWS as an entry-level software development engineer. The funding AWS offered during her final semester strongly influenced her to join the company full-time.
“It makes me feel seen and heard and valued,” Dehnashi said of AWS’s support. “I think working alongside so many brilliant people, it’s easy to slip into a sense of being an impostor, especially being that I don’t have much experience. But knowing that AWS is here to invest and support me really makes me feel that I am a valuable addition.”
The partnership also helped to abate Julie Rakas’s impostor syndrome. After doing her undergraduate work in math and physics, Rakas moved to Align, and accepted a software development engineering internship with AWS.
“Impostor syndrome is such a big thing in this field, and especially coming to a company like Amazon,” Rakas said. “What helped me was this partnership with Khoury College. I was preparing for this internship well before it even started, and I was receiving support. Once I got here, I also felt super supported by my team and I was really comfortable asking questions.”
READ: How Aligner LeAnn Mendoza kicked impostor syndrome in her transition to data science
Being set up well to explore the computer science industry and succeed in whatever niche he selected was most meaningful for Rachit Mehta, an Align student with a biology background. Mehta is now working on a software development engineering internship with AWS, and enjoys learning outside the classroom.
“I thought software engineering was just making websites, but then I learned more — about data science, cybersecurity, web development in general, back end, front end, full stack. All of those things that were just buzzwords to me, I can finally understand, digest, and see what I’m interested in,” Mehta said. “Align is great because it positioned me within computer science and the tech industry more than I think another program would have.”
Both Rakas and Mehta recently accepted full-time roles with AWS, which they will begin after they graduate later this year. Mary Trimarco, Khoury College program manager and Align’s director of strategic partnerships, is deeply gratified by how well Align and AWS have meshed.
“Align has provided a unique — and previously unavailable — path to CS for students with backgrounds in business, sociology, biology, law, theater, journalism, medicine,” Trimarco said. “It’s an amazing diversity of background that provides employers with incredible technical talent and an underpinning of whichever degree or work experience the Aligner brings.”
“This has been nothing but successful; we’re showing great retention, extending many post-grad offers, and the folks that are coming through are exceeding our hiring bar,” Fetzer said. “The quality of candidates is staying high, and it’s allowing us to build upon that program year over year.”
Three years in and surrounded by diverse perspectives, Duso can’t recommend partnering with the Align program highly enough — and he has some advice for other employers about how to make the most of the partnership.
“Figure out how to adapt it for your world and your culture, then engage and meet the candidates where they are,” Duso said. “You’ll be successful.”
Wayne Duso, vice president of engineering and product at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was well aware of the importance of diversity in driving innovation. So while he saw the value that classically trained software engineers brought to the table, he also saw that adding more people who thought the same way he did wouldn’t generate the radical innovation that AWS needed. So Duso turned to Khoury College’s Align program — a computer science master’s program for students who didn’t study CS as undergrads — to find people who weren’t like him.
“When you look at the Align program, you’re not simply bringing in another set of trained engineers,” Duso said. “You’re bringing folks who have a different set of perspectives, a different set of experiences. They bring a fresh understanding.”
Now entering its fourth year, the partnership between AWS and Khoury College provides mentorship and support to Align students from any of Northeastern’s network campuses, and prepares them to apply for AWS’ Software Development Engineering internship. Any Align student involved in the partnership program is guaranteed the opportunity to complete the first step in AWS’s intern hiring process: an online technical screening. Those who pass the screening go on to a technical and behavioral interview with an AWS engineer, and if they pass that as well, they are offered an internship the following summer. After the internship, if the Aligner is offered and accepts a full-time, post-graduation position with AWS, the company will fund the student’s final semester tuition and provide a living stipend.
Align students — 54 percent of whom were women in 2022, and all of whom come from nontraditional academic backgrounds — face a high barrier to entry when transitioning to tech. Gaining experience doing software development engineering for AWS provides an enormous boost over that first professional hurdle.
In return, AWS can build a pipeline of workers with skills in everything from chemistry to English literature in addition to their technical CS skills. Brecka Fetzer, the business program manager who oversees the partnership from AWS’s side, called out the creative perspectives, writing and communication skills, and baseline comfort in the business world as specific strengths Align students bring to their AWS work.
“Our collaboration with Northeastern was one of the first ones we built from the ground up, and I’m super proud of it,” Fetzer said. “We heard a lot of folks going through the Align program were initially intimidated by AWS; they were scared to apply, they didn’t think they could do it … We really wanted to show them that there was an opportunity for them if they kept going. Take that leap, jump in, and we’re here for you on the other side.”
Hasti Gheibi Dehnashi participated in the first year of the partnership, and after graduating in 2021, is back at AWS as an entry-level software development engineer. The funding AWS offered during her final semester strongly influenced her to join the company full-time.
“It makes me feel seen and heard and valued,” Dehnashi said of AWS’s support. “I think working alongside so many brilliant people, it’s easy to slip into a sense of being an impostor, especially being that I don’t have much experience. But knowing that AWS is here to invest and support me really makes me feel that I am a valuable addition.”
The partnership also helped to abate Julie Rakas’s impostor syndrome. After doing her undergraduate work in math and physics, Rakas moved to Align, and accepted a software development engineering internship with AWS.
“Impostor syndrome is such a big thing in this field, and especially coming to a company like Amazon,” Rakas said. “What helped me was this partnership with Khoury College. I was preparing for this internship well before it even started, and I was receiving support. Once I got here, I also felt super supported by my team and I was really comfortable asking questions.”
READ: How Aligner LeAnn Mendoza kicked impostor syndrome in her transition to data science
Being set up well to explore the computer science industry and succeed in whatever niche he selected was most meaningful for Rachit Mehta, an Align student with a biology background. Mehta is now working on a software development engineering internship with AWS, and enjoys learning outside the classroom.
“I thought software engineering was just making websites, but then I learned more — about data science, cybersecurity, web development in general, back end, front end, full stack. All of those things that were just buzzwords to me, I can finally understand, digest, and see what I’m interested in,” Mehta said. “Align is great because it positioned me within computer science and the tech industry more than I think another program would have.”
Both Rakas and Mehta recently accepted full-time roles with AWS, which they will begin after they graduate later this year. Mary Trimarco, Khoury College program manager and Align’s director of strategic partnerships, is deeply gratified by how well Align and AWS have meshed.
“Align has provided a unique — and previously unavailable — path to CS for students with backgrounds in business, sociology, biology, law, theater, journalism, medicine,” Trimarco said. “It’s an amazing diversity of background that provides employers with incredible technical talent and an underpinning of whichever degree or work experience the Aligner brings.”
“This has been nothing but successful; we’re showing great retention, extending many post-grad offers, and the folks that are coming through are exceeding our hiring bar,” Fetzer said. “The quality of candidates is staying high, and it’s allowing us to build upon that program year over year.”
Three years in and surrounded by diverse perspectives, Duso can’t recommend partnering with the Align program highly enough — and he has some advice for other employers about how to make the most of the partnership.
“Figure out how to adapt it for your world and your culture, then engage and meet the candidates where they are,” Duso said. “You’ll be successful.”
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