Amazon is developing new ways to reach out to customers, with the leadership of innovators such as Harpreet Bath ’15.

Mihaylo management alumnus Harpreet Bath ’15 is remembered by many students as the first Sikh to hold the student body presidency in the Cal State system. Today, he is a campus site manager for the online retail giant Amazon at UC San Diego. Bath discusses his career, his Mihaylo College experience and hopes for the future.

Harpreet Bath ’15 has been a trendsetter since he started his degree program at Mihaylo College in 2010. From leading the CSUF Finance Association to a Business Inter-Club Council (BICC) “Best Organization” award to making history as president of Associated Students Inc. (ASI), he has prioritized leadership opportunities for his personal development.

Nearly two years after completing his undergraduate degree, Bath discusses his current role working for Amazon, his college experience and where he hopes to go in the future.

What is a typical day like in your job with Amazon?

As a campus site manager, I helped launch and now lead Amazon@UCSanDiego, which is a fully-staffed pick-up location for customers to retrieve packages ordered through Amazon, have questions answered by our helpful associates and process returns for free.

Amazon Prime and Prime Student members enjoy expedited shipping benefits, including free same-day or free one-day, right to campus.

My day-to-day responsibilities include creating and maintaining strong relationships with our UC San Diego partners, while constantly working to let the campus community know about our services. I am tasked with managing daily site operations and labor, working with partners to plan digital and physical marketing campaigns, and participating in major events on campus and in the community.

How did you get started with Amazon?

I was actually hired by Amazon in my final semester at Mihaylo prior to graduation in May 2015. Through my involvement and contributions on campus, I was recruited by Amazon to start as an area manager with Amazon Operations and Fulfillment, which directly aligned with my emphasis in supply chain management and operations concentration.

Since starting with the company I have had the opportunity to work in one of Amazon’s largest fulfillment centers in the world, be a part of the launch team for opening and operating the first Amazon robotics site in Southern California, and I am now helping start and lead the pickup location at UC San Diego.

As Amazon continues to grow across the world, there are tons of amazing opportunities that Mihaylo students can take advantage of. Amazon’s culture really drives innovation and, problem-solving and provides some amazing leadership opportunities to young graduates. I would encourage Mihaylo grads to explore opportunities with Amazon across all concentrations as they would find careers that help bring the best out of them and a chance to work with some of the smartest and most highly driven people across the globe.

Harpreet Bath says involvement in the CSUF Finance Association, the BICC and ASI were key to his personal development.

While you were best known for the ASI presidency, you were involved in a number of Mihaylo clubs. How has this involvement assisted you in your career so far? 

I first got involved in Mihaylo as a member of the CSUF Finance Association in my second year and soon started extending my involvement through various leadership positions. I eventually served as club president in spring 2013.

Through creative event planning and hosting, in spring 2013 we were able to increase our membership by 10% and our club was named BICC Club of the Year.

My early involvement within the Finance Association and BICC played a huge role in my development and allowed me to explore further opportunities on campus with ASI and eventually prepared me to run and get elected as ASI student body president during my final year in college.

Along the way I learned extremely valuable skills about the strength of collaboration, how to bring people together with varying opinions to get the job done and always being prepared for any task, meeting or unplanned situation. My involvement in Mihaylo and on campus helped give me the confidence to compete and succeed among the best at Amazon.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I plan to pursue new opportunities on a daily basis that help me challenge the status quo in our growing company, while allowing me to innovate and help improve the Amazon customer experience.

As I continue to grow in my current position, I see myself eventually becoming a senior leader in Amazon, while helping drive excellent customer experience and innovative growth on a much higher level.

What are your overall thoughts about your Mihaylo College and CSUF experience?

Mihaylo College has a very special place in my heart as it allowed me to be the first in my family to graduate from college and equipped me with the skills and experience to compete among the best.

I encourage all Mihaylo grads to highly value their time on campus and take advantage of the numerous involvement and academic opportunities. There are so many skills that I utilize on a daily basis as I lead my site that I can attribute to my time in college. Your drive for excellence really starts at Mihaylo!