Luigi Mangione– this name has been making headlines recently, sparking global interest and widespread attention. But why? The 26-year-old UPenn alumni was taken into custody in connection with the fatal New York City shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione was arrested on firearms charges in Pennsylvania and identified as a “strong person of interest” in the December 4 shooting of Thompson.
Currently, he is at the center of an internet frenzy, with social media users hailing him as a hero for allegedly avenging the deaths of numerous Americans who were denied timely health insurance payouts by Thompson’s company. Notably, Mangione is reported to have suffered from spondylolisthesis and Lyme disease, conditions that required spinal fusion surgery in July 2023. Reports suggest that Mangione was not insured by UnitedHealthcare.
But beyond the ongoing case and charges against Mangione, here’s something you probably didn’t know about this Maryland boy. Mangione earned his Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania and briefly served as a counselor at Stanford.
Luigi Mangione at Stanford University
According to The Stanford Daily, Luigi Mangione was employed as a head counselor for Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Studies Program from May to September 2019. During this time, he designed lesson plans, taught artificial intelligence to gifted high school students, and led a seven-member residential staff as part of the summer studies program. He was also the head of Kappa Alpha House, a role documented in now-deleted social media posts.
Stanford’s Pre-Collegiate Studies Program offers academic courses to high school students from across the globe, both on campus and online. The program is renowned for providing exceptional learning opportunities to young scholars.
