Amazon is in its prime right about now. Pun intended.

With Americans seeking safety in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, many are depending heavily on the online giant’s reputation for speedy delivery and a convenient one-click shopping experience.

Aidan Jude will soon be an integral part of Amazon’s team.

Jude – a spring 2020 Wichita State University graduate in electrical engineering, computer engineering and mathematics – will be embarking on a full-time career as a software engineer for Amazon web services in July. 

“I got the job just before (the COVID-19 pandemic) happened, so I was very grateful to get a full-time job,” Jude said. “It felt like the culmination of everything I worked for four years.”

Dr. Kimberly Engber, dean of the Cohen Honors College, describes Aidan as somewhat of a renaissance man.

“Aidan approaches the world as an American scholar,” Engber said. “He is both a deep thinker and a doer, a problem-solver whether in engineering or literature. He embraced the honors spirit of inquiry in all areas. He was recruited as a Koch Scholar to study engineering but sought out literary study in Honors, and each time I ran into him in the honors office, he was reading something new or considering another poet to add to his list of future reading. He talked about the opportunity to pursue college on a global scale when he reflected on his experience studying abroad in London. This flexible thinking combined with top technical skills and intellectual curiosity make it no surprise that Amazon recognized Aidan as a great asset.”

Jude came to Wichita State from Minnesota because he was impressed with the university’s connections to the community and major industries.

“Being a school that’s in a bigger city, WSU has close ties with businesses. And because of those business ties, there are lots of ways of getting experience,” Jude said. “That’s what WSU does so well: Once you have that first internship, it’s so easy to get that next one.”

Through the university’s close connections with the business community, Jude was able to secure internships each year he attended WSU. For his freshman year, Jude interned at Kiewit in Kansas City. That internship was followed by Koch Industries his sophomore year, John Deere his junior year, and he currently works at NetApp during his senior year.

And beyond internships, Jude had no problem staying busy on campus. Outside of classes, Jude was a member of the Student Ambassador Society, part of the Cohen Honors College and a Koch Industries Scholar.

“WSU does a good job of providing real-world opportunities to students. That’s ultimately what gets you the full-time job,” he said.