Building Leaders: Inside the First-Ever AFE Scholar Ambassador E-Board Retreat

Since 2019, the Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Scholarship Program has provided students from underserved communities a direct pathway into computer science, combining scholarship funding with a paid internship at Amazon and a sustained network of support. The program's design reflects a four-year commitment rather than a single transaction. Scholars are given room to grow from participants into mentors, and for a select group, into leaders on the program's Scholar Ambassador Executive Board.

The E-Board carries significant responsibility within the AFE Scholar Ambassador community. Board members facilitate meetings, lead K-12 engagement events, coordinate scholarship socials, and help set direction for hundreds of their peers, all while managing full course loads and their own academic and career development. This is leadership work in the fullest sense, and it deserves preparation and support that matches its weight.

This July, Coaction Collective partnered with Amazon Future Engineer to provide that support in a new way. For the first time since the E-Board's founding, the incoming board convened in person, gathering in Chicago for a multi-day retreat centered on one core objective: building the relational foundation this team would need to lead well together.

Our approach was intentional. Rather than beginning with tasks and deliverables, the retreat prioritized trust building, shared reflection, and structured opportunities for board members to understand their individual strengths and how those strengths fit together as a collective. Program planning happened, and the board left with a clear calendar for the year ahead. But the deeper outcome was a team that understands how it works, where its members complement one another, and how to lean on each other when the work gets demanding.

This is the kind of investment in youth leadership development that often goes unseen. Young people are regularly asked to lead, organize, and represent their peers, yet rarely given the same intentional team development that adult leadership teams receive as a matter of course. Coaction Collective believes these student leaders deserve that same level of care and preparation, and this retreat reflects that commitment in practice.

We are proud to partner with Amazon Future Engineer in this work, and prouder still of the E-Board members who showed up ready to build something together. As this board steps into a new program year, they carry with them not only a plan, but a team.

If your organization is ready to invest in the young leaders you serve with this same level of intentionality, Coaction Collective is ready to build alongside you. Reach out to learn how we design leadership development experiences rooted in trust, teamwork, and real preparation for the work ahead.