Yonah Levenson, the manager of taxonomy at HBO, pictured with intern Nicholas Roberts

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Yonah Levenson, the manager of taxonomy at HBO, pictured with intern Nicholas Roberts, a student participating in the same School of Communication and Information program that she benefited from.

Photography: 
John O'Boyle

As manager of taxonomy at HBO, Yonah Levenson is charged with organizing the company’s vast and growing storehouse of data. Her work is demanding and complex, necessitating a highly skilled team. Even an intern in her department needs to have state-of-the-art training. 

“We had a number of candidates,” says Levenson SC&I’16, describing the process of choosing an intern last spring, “and I wanted to be fair to all of them.” She perused résumés from six colleges and universities in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Among them, a Rutgers connection emerged: Nicholas Roberts, a student in the same program Levenson had completed about a year earlier.

“Having graduated in May  of 2016, I knew it was a good  program,” says Levenson of the master of library and information science track at the School of Communication and Information. With firsthand experience, she knew that today’s program fits what big, dynamic employers like HBO are looking for.

She and Roberts had spoken by phone before meeting at a job fair at Rutgers University–New Brunswick in April 2017. Levenson hired Roberts for the New York City-based internship, which he began last June, and Levenson describes him as “a great fit.”

Roberts, for his part, is grateful for the entrée to HBO that Rutgers afforded him: “It’s a great opportunity, and I feel like I’ve gained a lot of knowledge.”

The professional world abounds with stories of Rutgers alumni supporting one another. In fact, back when Levenson herself was in the job market, Rutgers graduates gave her key advice as she set her sights on the HBO position.

Learn more about the Rutgers University Alumni Association.