Gina Getonga

At Questrom, Gina Getonga earned a dual degree in business and digital technology with a focus in the health sector and operations management. Back then, her plan was to develop her skills in big data analytics and someday land an engineering job in the booming IT health sector. That someday is today.

These days, Gina is a senior software engineer at Evernorth, a Cigna company offering benefits management and data analytics applications that provide affordable insights and data to healthcare professionals. She first joined the company through its selective Technology Early Career Development Program, a learning opportunity that dovetailed nicely with her Questrom experience.

“The program taught me to be determined and fend for myself,” says Gina, who is currently the only female on her team. “It also taught me that there are always going to be resources to help me, and I can always rely on my network.”

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Gina moved to the United States to earn an undergraduate degree. Following graduation, she worked in sales for CDW-G. Her clients were chief technology officers and superintendents for some of the biggest K-12 charter and public schools in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. After growing her book of business by more than 160 percent, Gina decided to pursue a career in IT analytics and operations. “I wanted to be part of the technological implementation and execution process, rather than on the sidelines,” she says.

During her dual-degree program, Gina gained valuable hands-on practice as an intern at Optum, UnitedHealth Group’s digital arm, where she worked as a systems business analyst with the Microsoft SharePoint team. “The internship gave me insight into Kanban and Agile methodologies used to assess big data and measure progress for a large organization,” she says.

Gina also made time in her demanding class schedule to get involved on campus, where her work centered around diversity and inclusion and IT. She served as a web designer and marketing analyst for BU’s School of Social Work, vice president of operations for the Graduate Business Technology Club, vice president of marketing and communications for the Questrom Graduate Students of the African Diaspora, and business intelligence analyst for Questrom’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. “I’m so proud of the work I did on DEI at Questrom, breaking down barriers and demystifying stereotypes,” Gina says. “It was a defining moment for me.”

“I’m so proud of the work I did on DEI at Questrom, breaking down barriers and demystifying stereotypes. It was a defining moment for me.”

– Gina Getonga