���ϲ�����

When Anna Cosentino ’19 heard about ���ϲ����� from her best friend’s older sister, she immediately put it on her list of prospective colleges. “I knew I wanted a school with a beautiful campus and small class sizes, so when I visited campus, I instantly felt at home and acceptance into the Honors Program sealed the deal,” Cosentino said.

Instantly, Cosentino took advantage of all ���ϲ����� has to offer. Alongside her studies in media analytics as well as her minors in and data science, Cosentino had a job on the football team, an internship at the Center for Organizational Analytics and was involved with the Sigma Kappa sorority. Her two Winter Term study abroad experiences in Peru and Vietnam took Cosentino abroad for the first time.

Cosentino’s academics converged in her honors thesis, a web app that analyzed San Francisco’s Twitter sentiment for city planning.

“I was fortunate to receive a substantial tuition scholarship through the Honors Program and participated in the work-study program,” she said. “This financial support made my ���ϲ����� education possible, and I’m incredibly grateful.”

After graduation, Cosentino immediately moved to San Francisco for Google’s new graduate marketing program, where she was a marketing analyst for five years.

“It was a whirlwind of professional growth and personal discovery,” she said. “While I was at Google, I was given so much responsibility right off the bat. I worked on Super Bowl commercials, NBA Finals sponsorships, partnerships with BTS and Taylor Swift and was the measurement lead on YouTube’s biggest-ever launch for YT Shorts. It really boosted my confidence to be trusted by senior leaders with high visibility projects.”

Working at Google provided Cosentino with more than incredible work experience. “I gained an LGBTQIA+ community, embraced new hobbies like CrossFit and backpacking, traveled to new countries, discovered a passion for music and really experienced the independence of adult life, including sharing an apartment with my girlfriend and adopting a pet,” she said.

This love for music paired with her collaboration with YouTube Music while at Google encouraged a career change for Cosentino. So, after five years at Google, Cosentino joined SiriusXM as a senior product manager where she is responsible for growing their mobile app. She did so with the help of a referral from a former ���ϲ����� professor and current Director of Product Insights at SiriusXM William Moner.

Cosentino has big dreams for her tenure at SiriusXM. “My career goal is to lead a diverse product team that creates accessible and impactful entertainment and culture experiences,” she said. “I aspire to fully own a product and become an executive sponsor for the Pride Employee Resource Group.”

Her experience with Lesbians Who Tech & Allies (LWT) this past year has served as a great resource for the latter career aspiration.

“LWT is an amazing organization that provides resources and networking events for queer women and their allies in tech,” she says. Cosentino was awarded the LWT Edie Windsor scholarship, which provided her funding to complete a coding bootcamp and attend the annual LWT conference.

“Lesbians Who Tech & Allies (LWT) has been instrumental in my career,” she said. “This year, I’m excited to represent SiriusXM at the NYC conference, connecting with other queer tech leaders.”

While she has achieved so much in the five years since graduation, life after ���ϲ����� has not always been easy for Cosentino.

“Navigating imposter syndrome is a constant challenge in such a competitive industry,” she said. “However, strong mentorship and daily reminders of my capabilities have helped me build confidence and become comfortable with speaking up with my ideas.”

“The work experience I had at ���ϲ�����, especially in the Center for Organizational Analytics, taught me essential soft skills like time management, prioritization, client relations and leadership outside of my knowledge-based classes,” she added. “These practical skills, combined with academic knowledge, have been invaluable in my professional success.”

None of this would have been possible had she not taken advantage of ���ϲ�����’s sweeping network, and Cosentino encourages current students to do the same.

“Networking is so important, and people are really willing to help young students and professionals,” she said. “I have been so lucky to have many amazing mentors in the tech space that are incredible female and queer leaders and have pushed me to be my best. You would be surprised how willing people are.”

She also encourages approaching college with an open mind.

“Embrace unexpected opportunities,” she said. “Be open to exploring different academic paths and extracurricular activities. Your passions may evolve, and that’s okay!”

Cosentino’s ability to work through her imposter syndrome is in part thanks to ���ϲ�����. “���ϲ����� fostered a supportive yet challenging environment that encouraged personal and academic growth,” she said. “The diversity of experience on campus prepared me for the diversity of experience I have in my everyday life in San Francisco.”