SEATTLE – College students have always dreamed about find a rewarding job immediately upon their graduation. To have their particular set of skills sought after, appreciated, and nurtured by an established industry leader. It is a dream that was actualized by Academy of Art softball alumni Jessica West who, even prior to her commencement ceremony earlier this year, was hired to work full-time for Amazon, the largest internet retailer in the world.

A 2018 graduate in from ART U's School of Web Design & New Media, West had her sights set on a successful post-collegiate career long before she tossed her graduation cap into the sky. After beginning to build her portfolio as an underclassman with time spent interning for the Athlete Network, an online community connecting student-athletes and athletic departments around the country, and working as a brand ambassador for MKTG, a global lifestyle marketing agency, West was dealt a huge opportunity to intern with Black Entertainment Television (BET) Digital. The summer of 2016 saw her travel to New York to lead the designs and prototype for BET's new digital initiative on both desktop and mobile app. She worked closely with graphic and lead UX (user experience) designers to make design decisions for the website and app as well as the logos and graphics used for digital shows.

In addition to the high-level experience, West importantly gained the knowledge of various paths she could take as her next chapter awaited writing. She found the user experience design aspect particularly intriguing and started specifically looking more for internships within that role. Venturing into possibilities within corporate, start-ups, and agencies, she soon found herself at the other end of an interview with Amazon and, after being offered an opportunity to intern during the summer of 2017, she accepted.

"The internship was a 12-week program," said West. "It was super educational, helping me grow as a designer and giving me a chance to really understand Amazon. Working on a great team and next to some awesome designers was a huge help. At the end of the 12 weeks, I was excited to learn that Amazon decided to bring me on full-time once I graduated."

Fast-forward to today where West has a very dynamic daily routine inside Amazon's Seattle headquarters. More physically active are the days that feature many meetings around campus, while others are complete design days with time to deeply focus on her projects. Balancing quite a bit of research and design, West continues to learn about what is effective for e-commerce as she works specifically on Amazon's retail site and app. A flexible work environment also features various places for inspiration such as "The Spheres," three spherical conservatories that serve as an employee lounge and workspace.
 
West not only looks back fondly on her time at Academy of Art, but she remains particularly thankful to the classes and mentors who guided her along the way. Not all of her classes may have seemed like they would play a role in her future career, but as with the example of motion graphics, she now consistently incorporate their elements into her designs and has great appreciation for what she learned.
 
"The UX Design classes at Academy of Art helped me out tremendously for my design process here," said West. "The Web Design & New Media department really helped get me prepared through multiple portfolio reviews/showcases and offering a variety of classes. Coming into Amazon, I had a unique set of skills that I could incorporate into my designs and workflow because of the specific classes I took and teachers I had."

It is not only her work in the classroom that is serving West in her role now. A four-year member of the Urban Knights' softball team, West was a constant fixture in the lineup. She still holds program records for career games played and walks in addition to ranking top three in runs scored and doubles as well as top 10 in hits, triples, runs batted in, and stolen bases. One of the Portland, Ore. native's most memorable moments came on Apr. 21, 2016 when she hit two home runs to propel Academy of Art past then-ranked No. 16 California Baptist.

 

"Softball teaches you so many life skills from learning how to work with people, being on a team, and time management," said West. "Time management especially; as a designer you need to know what you can get done and be able to set timelines. After going through managing softball with school and summer internships, I know that no matter what, I can get stuff done here. You learn how to manage even more in school (especially when you try to add in travel and sleep) that, in a job, you are already one step ahead. There were many times in interviews that softball came up and served as a great example. I didn't realize how much it shaped me and prepared me for my career."

Delving deeper into her work with Amazon every day, West carries great pride in having been an Urban Knight. Her college experience not only prepared her for the role she now has with an innovator in the web design and new media industry, but helped her make lifelong connections as both an artist and a student-athlete.

"Through softball, I always had people to look up to and seeing other student-athletes accomplishing things in college and after college over the years really inspired me to strive for that," said West. "San Francisco is such a great city to go to school and develop your career. Academy of Art is so unique that it sets you apart from others. Not many people in the tech industry have attended an art school, but when you meet another art school graduate, or even other designers, it's an instant community."