Meet Marialena Bevilacqua ’20 who participated in the Alumni Job Shadowing Program at Amazon Robotics
Full Name: Marialena Bevilacqua
Class Year: 2020
Major: Mathematics
Shadowing Visit Site: Amazon Robotics
1. Describe your visit and what did you gain from the experience?
During Christmas Break, I shadowed Mr. Chad Wright at Amazon Robotics, in North Reading, Massachusetts. The original date that Mr. Wright and I had planned for was altered due to the biggest storm of the winter occurring during my visit to Massachusetts. Later on in January, I finally made it to the site. When I first got to Amazon Robotics, I walked by a large cement floor, where robots were being produced, tested, and were carrying around tall boxes. Soon after that, Mr. Wright explained to me what the company does, who works at the company, and what his position and daily routines are at the company. Throughout the day, I met with people of various job titles, including a Business Intelligence Developer, Business Systems Analysis, a Project Manager, a Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, as well as a Security Engineer and a Help Desk Technician. Each career and job position had its own purposes and responsibilities, and each employee had their own path in order to achieve their current position. It was extremely interesting to learn how each employee got to where they are and what steps they took in order to achieve their goals and fulfill their daily responsibilities at work. What I gained most from this experience was learning that there are many possible career opportunities for STEM majors, and that there are many different paths to travel down in order to achieve ones’ future career goals. At the end of the day, Mr. Wright brought me for a tour of the site where I was able to piece together how each persons’ role played an important part in the overall production and success of the company. Overall, it was a great experience and I was able to visit a unique and interesting company that I would have not been able to explore without the Alumni Job Shadowing program.
2. How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans/goals?
As a Mathematics major, the most common route to follow post-graduation is to become involved in the business or finance fields. But this experience opened my eyes to the vast opportunities that exist for a math major in the technology sector. Within technology, a mathematics major can obtain a degree in engineering, computer science, and other scientific fields. There are also opportunities to be involved in business or finance within a technology company. For a math major who is interested in Finance, but does not want to work on Wall Street, a technology company is another great alternative. Learning about all of these new and fascinating career opportunities opened my eyes to potential careers that I was not aware of prior to my visit with Mr. Wright at Amazon Robotics.
3. What is some helpful advice your alumni host shared with you?
Some helpful advice my alumni host shared with me was to do everything I can in order to prepare myself for a variety of future careers. For example, Mr. Wright suggested that I take Computer Programming in order to open up doors to various technology opportunities that might present themselves in my future. It might even be helpful to take technology courses at schools that offer these classes, such as WPI, in order to better my chances at a future in the technology field. This is advice that I had never received before, and am sure that it will prove to be beneficial to myself and my future.
4. Why would you recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students?
I would most definitely recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students. This experience allows you to connect with a Holy Cross alumni who has shared similar experiences to your own, and shows you what your work-life and future employment could look like in years to come. The job shadowing program provides you with someone who becomes a role model, as well as goals that one might aspire to achieve. On the contrary, the Alumni Job Shadowing Program may provide a student with an idea of what they do not want to do with the rest of their life, which is just as equally beneficial, and sets the student on a mission to explore exactly what they want to do and participate in more shadowing experiences. All-in-all, I had an amazing experience at Amazon Robotics this winter break, and was fortunate enough to connect with another member of “Sader Nation,” all thanks to the Alumni Job Shadowing Program.
