by Brianna Anderson
Not every Whitworth student can claim to have a creative hand in launching AmazonTote delivery service, while taking the year off from college.
Justin Scott transferred to Whitworth from Chabot College in Alameda, Calif. in 2008 as a junior. He decided to take the following year off to work full time. A friend told him Amazon.com was hiring. He went in for an interview and was hired the same day.
“I had never done corporate before. I always sort of envisioned myself trying to do non-profit work and avoid ‘the man,’” Scott said. “I thought I would hate it but I got there and was really good at what I did and really enjoyed it. As soon as I graduate I’m looking to go back.”
Scott started out working as a customer service agent at a call center for Amazon.com in Kennewick, Wash. He was promoted to work on specialty teams with various departments such as AmazonFresh and Amazon.ca Scott eventually helped launch AmazonTote, where products were delivered by Amazon.com directly as a sort of replacement for UPS and FedEx.
Scott progressed even further and worked as a team liaison and spokesman for Amazon.com’s team of employees; running several meetings where sometimes people from corporate flew out to attend. Scott said he enjoyed working in a leadership role.
“It was something that was so natural and I loved it,” Scott said. “My year here at Whitworth before I did that job was so crucial. The communication courses that I took really prepped me for that job. I felt confident and competent in my ability to speak to others.”
Scott returned to his studies after working at Amazon.com for a year. He quickly became friends with his classmate Pierre Biscaye, who just happened to play guitar. Scott himself had been singing since age four. Together the two formed a band called “Artesian Wells” Scott was inspired by the name “Artesian Wells” after learning its definition in one of his science classes. In simple terms, an artesian well is a kind of natural spring. Their Facebook page describes how Biscaye and Scott formed the band:
“One fateful day in Core 250, Forrest Baird asked the class to stand up, stretch, and tell the person next to them something they had wanted to say to them. Justin turned to Pierre and said ‘I think we should write a song together.’ And thus was born the greatest thing ever. The end.”
Justin Scott is a senior here at Whitworth; he is a Communication major and will be graduating this December.