Howdy! My name is Ayo Aina, and I’m a junior at Texas A&M University, majoring in computing. Beyond academics, I actively serve in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, in Company F-2. In the summer of 2024, I took part in a twelve-week internship in the Merchant Experience API team as part of the Amazon Future Engineer program. Serving within the Worldwide Grocery Store (WWGS) organization, I rowked on a team that enables tech readiness for Ultra-Fast Grocery (UFG) launches by supporting the systems within online grocery shopping to accelerate UFG launch. I worked on a project to automate and streamline manual tasks including file uploads, cutting tickets, and adding merchant listings with the goal of reducing the labor required to execute these workflows.

The whole experience was very much new to me, and in many ways, I didn’t know how to handle not knowing something. Vocalizing my own concerns and understanding of the project were very difficult in the first month of the experience. As a result, my working productivity dipped due to my having unclear priorities and having not made a lot of meaningful progress both technically and conceptually. By my mid-internship evaluation, my Technical mentor and I realized that this lack of focus was negatively affecting my experience by slowing me down.

To address this, we paused and reassessed our approach to the project at hand. We outlined the tasks that needed to be completed by mid-August, shedding those that were unachievable. What remained, we broke into smaller, actionable steps, and prioritized the most critical ones. Once I refocused, I became more productive, and my adjustments helped me finish strong. That experience taught me the importance of maintaining rigorous discipline during an internship. After all, these weren’t just projects I was doing, these were helping advance the vision of Amazon as a company in a small but significant way.

Persistence is key when trying to pursue a SWE internship. I was incredibly fortuante to have gotten one coming into college, and be able to use that as a basis for getting other opportunities. Focus on your career readiness skills. Develop your resume, get good at interviews, and create a LinkedIn account. These basic soft skills are ones that will go far in your career. Additionally, develop your network! It may not get you an offer on the spot, but it will surely open doors for you to people who will.

Lastly, be patient. For my last summer internship at Pluralsight, they gave me the interview and official offer on the last two days of school, having applied to dozens over the course of the year, including onsite interviews at an NSBE National Convention in Atlanta. Know your worth, if you believe you deserve something, dont’t fret if it may not come on time because everyone gets what they truly deserve one way or another whatever the time.

Intel has named Lip-Bu Tan, a seasoned Silicon Valley investor and executive, as its new chief executive in a bid to reclaim its status as a leading semiconductor manufacturer. Tan takes over during a challenging time for Intel, as the company struggles with innovation and market competition, especially in the mobile and AI sectors.

His appointment follows significant corporate setbacks, including substancial job cuts and a sharp decline in stock prices. Intel’s revival efforts are supported by the CHIPS Act, which provides federal funding for expanding production facilities. Tan’s history of successful tech investments and leadership, particularly in semiconductor startups, positions him as a pivotal figure in steering Intel’s recovery and future direction. Read more HERE from the New York Times.

French publishers and authors are suing Meta, claiming the tech giant used their copyrighted works without authorization to train its AI systems. The lawsuit, filed by three trade groups including the National Publishing Union, and the National Union of Authors and Composers, alleges Meta’s generative AI model illegally incorporates their literary content. The groups demand the removal of their works from Meta’s databases, amid broader concerns about AI’s impact on intellectual property and cultural heritage. This legal action highlights ongoing tensions between creative industries and tech companies over data usage and copyright compliance. Read more HERE from US News.

Kode with Klossy is now accepting applications for their 2025 coding programs, which are free for young women and gender expansive youth across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions. The programs include their flagship 2-week summer camps in cities like Chicago, Dallas, NYC, and others during June, July, and August, covering topics like Web Development and Data science.

Additionally, 2-day AI workshops called Code-a-Bration will be available in March 2025 in San Francisco and St. Louis. No prior coding experience is required to participate, and all necessary materials including laptops and lunches will be provided. Interested applicants who identify as female or gender expansive, are between 13-18 years old, and can commit to the full duration of the program should apply by March 31, 2025, at https://www.kodewithklossy.com/signup