Megan Lau '13

'Know your worth and don't be afraid to negotiate'

When it comes to efficiency, Megan Lau '13 is all business. She found her calling in childhood while watching her father run a small business in Hawai‘i.

"I was consistently thinking of the most efficient way to operationalize a process, whether it's loading the dishwasher or bringing a large amount of groceries from the garage to the kitchen," Lau says. "This translated easily to becoming a business management major at Whitworth."

After graduating, Lau applied at Amazon, where she advanced to her current position as senior business development manager. She manages business relationships and identifies new business partners, helping to grow Amazon with the largest accounts in the industry.

Lau serves on the Seattle Leadership Team for the Whitworth Women's Leadership Network, and she co-leads the Whitworth Career Trek program at Amazon, helping students gain exposure and access to tech jobs in Seattle. "I'm always looking for ways to improve processes so others have an easier time going through the same things that I've experienced," says Lau, who provides students with insights into working at Amazon and living in Seattle, as well as how to prepare for an interview with the company.

"Between my passion for process improvements as well as wanting to give back to the Whitworth community," she says, "it was an easy choice to lead the Whitworth Career Trek at Amazon."

Lau's top advice to those she mentors includes: Be authentic to yourself and your values; stand up for others; get a mentor (or five); know your worth and don't be afraid to negotiate.

This story appears in the fall 2021 issue of Whitworth Today magazine.

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