A former University of Pennsylvania student who took a class where Luigi Mangione was a teacher’s assistant has described him as “very smart” and mentioned that he did not discuss his political views during their interactions. The student, who chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitive situation, revealed that Mangione was a teacher’s assistant in an introductory computer science class at the Ivy League university in 2019.
According to the student, being a TA for the class required going through a rigorous interview process, indicating Mangione's intelligence. TAs were responsible for assisting students with their homework and leading recitation sections to review class concepts.
The student recalled having one-on-one interactions with Mangione, but only within the classroom and office settings. She emphasized that their conversations were solely focused on academic matters, particularly homework questions.
Reflecting on the situation, the student expressed shock and disbelief at the news of Mangione's alleged involvement in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. She noted the irony of having interacted with him several years ago, describing the turn of events as 'shocking and surreal.'
