Leadership Spotlight: Sam Hopper

Hey LinkedIn! Meet Samantha (Sam) Hopper!

Sam is the Sr. Manager of the Emerging Talent Experience team in Student Programs, responsible for deploying programs to support Amazon's student hires, including over 15K corporate interns in 2022. Sam’s eight-year tenure with Amazon includes supporting new country launches and experiential improvements for Selling Partners in the Consumer business before she pivoted to focus on developing the next generation of Amazon leaders via Student Programs. As a first generation college graduate herself, Sam’s passion is in providing opportunities and making a broad impact across Amazon through her team’s work.?

Let's learn a little more about Sam...

We asked Sam,

• What is one of your favorite Amazon memories?

I have many great memories with colleagues over the years, but there’s something about the excitement of your first big launch! I loved the energy of staying up for the midnight reveal of the amazon.com.mx in 2015. There was so much passion and dedication put into the launch and no shortage of roadblocks to get there. I will never forget watching the news articles roll in one-by-one and seeing the fruits of our labor and the impact for the first-ever Amazon Sellers in Mexico. It was an exciting moment and fueled my continued passion for the impactful work at Amazon.?

• Why did you pivot into Student Programs, a recruiting space?

With no prior recruiting or HR experience, I had some trepidation at first, but Student Programs checked the boxes for what I was looking for in my next role. The opportunities in Student Programs are big, complex, global in nature, and impactful. I knew taking the jump into this organization four years ago would lend me continued opportunities to grow my program management and leadership, apply my skills in novel ways, all while focusing on personal passion areas -?creating opportunities, making an impact on people, and working in a global capacity.??

• What accomplishment at Amazon are you most proud of?

I pride myself in work that has a positive impact on people at the end of the day – whether that’s small business owners selling on Amazon or candidates and employees here at the company. While it was unexpected and trying work, I felt super proud of being tapped to help with company-wide efforts to support candidates and employees navigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic- especially those who were physically impacted by border and travel restrictions.

• What brings you passion/excitement to your role and team?

Three things: 1) Opportunity. Working at Amazon is transformative; I love that my team’s work is focused on creating that opportunity for thousands of students each year. 2) Impact. The work our team does spans all of Amazon and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to influence and create new initiatives at that scale. 3) People. I’m humbled daily by the talented people in Student Programs and the talented students we hire. I’m inspired to support these Customers and feel fueled by the passion of my colleagues to work in this space.

• What do you do for fun outside of work?

Travel is one of my biggest passions; Pre-pandemic, I had a personal goal to visit at least one new country per year, and had a successful 11 year streak (averaging 2.2). I’m always reading about cultures, researching new places, or planning out the next trip. I also have a toddler and loving husband at home that keep me super busy these days! My son’s passport is processing now so I hope we can do some international trips soon as a family. I also love the outdoors and any opportunity to be on the water kayaking, in the mountains hiking, or enjoying beach time – especially if on a trip.

• What are some of your favorite travel experiences with Amazon?

I’ve been lucky to travel for work with Amazon to six countries. Aside from getting face-to-face time with my global teammates and getting a ton accomplished, some of my favorite extracurricular experiences with them were enjoying Xochimilco near Mexico City, attending a local soccer match in Costa Rica, and volunteering at a grade school in India. I’m always so blown away by the hospitality of my colleagues.

• What is your favorite leadership principle and why?

Earn Trust. This Leadership Principal is all about earning respect and being respectful. At the end of the day, we are all humans who want to do our best! We sometimes make mistakes or say the wrong thing. I appreciate that Amazon recognizes and looks for employees who are candid, honest, and willing to own up to mistakes and then improve. I certainly have had to! But it’s helpful knowing that we can lean on coworkers for trust and to in turn relay that trust with Customers.?