Jonathan Coveney, M&T ’09
Hometown:
San Francisco, CA
Engineering Major:
Computer Science
Wharton Concentration:
Finance
WHAT ARE YOU DOING CURRENTLY?
I am a data engineer in the analytics infrastructure group at Twitter in San Francisco. I work with the stack of technologies responsible for storing and analyzing the huge volumes of data generated by the service, most specifically focusing on the tools which allow analysts and developers to perform easy, timely analysis.
HOW DID M&T PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR CURRENT ROLE OR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION?
Most directly, I am a software engineer. So for the work that I do, Penn’s computer science program let me dive into the topics that interested me and get a top notch education. As the employee of a company, and a member of teams, my Wharton education gives me a broader context for understanding the competitive dynamics at play both on the large and small scale.
In a broader sense, with my electives I took a number of classes in fine arts and literature. I’ve found that having exposure to broader sources of information, especially from the humanities, has been important to help me stay humble and mindful about the work I do and it’s relationship on modern society.
Lastly, as someone who has worked abroad, and even stateside must interact with many people from many backgrounds and cultures, the diversity of M&T helped ensure that I was very comfortable with people from a variety of cultures. It was one of my favorite parts of the program.
HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH THE M&T COMMUNITY?
Most of my connection with the M&T community has been very organic, which is great. I met a ton of really amazing people, and have gotten the chance to keep in touch with them over the years. Additionally, whenever I’ve moved to a new area, I’ve always been able to find M&T’s in that area doing interesting things who are happy to chat.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE M&T PROGRAM?
The people. M&T is filled with a very special mix of people. Extremely sharp and ambitious, but also with a humility and understanding of the world. There are a lot of very diverse interests and backgrounds, but everyone gets along very well. I remember a lot of time spent joking around in the M&T office.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DID YOU TAKE PART IN WHILE AT PENN?
Dining Philosophers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and eating a lot of roast duck.