UTSA Alumnus Helps Computer Science Majors Run Toward Success
UTSA alumnus, Joey Mukherjee ’95 became interested in the field of computer science at a young age. Recognizing the high-quality education he could receive from UTSA, he joined the university’s computer science program following his high school graduation. Years later Joey generously established the Joey Mukherjee Endowed Scholarship for Computer Science Majors Who Don’t Run Good - an homage to a quote from the popular movie Zoolander.
Many may not think computer science and running go hand-in-hand, and neither did Joey. To his surprise, he found joy in going for runs after work to improve his focus and keep his body healthy. While he admits to being a slow runner, he has had a great experience participating in the San Antonio running community, a supportive group of people.
“I recognized that a career in computer science lends itself to a sedentary lifestyle. I decided to join an exercise program at work and as a requirement we had to sign up for a 5k or 10k. I ended up having so much fun with it. I hope other computer science majors will find this activity sooner than I did to help with stress as they pursue their degrees,” Joey expressed.
Immediately following his graduation from UTSA, Joey was offered a position at Southwest Research Institute headquartered in San Antonio, where he has worked since. He works primarily in data analysis in space research for notable projects such as New Horizons, which flew by Pluto in 2015 and Juno, which flew by Jupiter in 2016, among several others.
“I got so much out of UTSA’s computer science program that has propelled and helped me throughout my career.”
Joey has been giving back to UTSA for nearly 30 years. When he learned how simple it is to establish a scholarship, he immediately jumped at the opportunity to create his own. Joey has not only funded a permanent endowment, providing his scholarship every year in perpetuity, but he has included a gift to UTSA in his will to provide even more funding for students in the future.
“UTSA was such a positive experience for me, and I hope it is for the recipients of this scholarship as well. I hope that whoever receives the scholarship will go on to pay it forward, and possibly even create their own scholarship after they’ve graduated,” said Joey.
In order to receive Joey’s scholarship, a computer science major must participate in a 5k. While continuing to run, no matter the pace, Joey has enjoyed learning new computer languages as our digital world continues to rapidly evolve. He hopes to inspire and mentor the recipients of his scholarship throughout their journeys of learning in the computer science field.
