Tackling IT: An Interview with Orange Defensive Lineman Kingsley Jonathan, ’21

By Gillian Follett, ’22

When he’s not on the football field as part of the Syracuse Orange defensive line, Kingsley Jonathan is driven by his passion for technology.

“I’ve always had a thing for IT,” Jonathan said in an interview with Information Technology Services (ITS).

Syracuse Orange defensive lineman Kingsley Jonathan sits down for an interview with Information Technology ServicesA junior information management and technology major, Jonathan spent his summer as an intern in the ITS Service Center, where he worked alongside other interns to help students, faculty and staff resolve issues with their electronic devices.

Throughout the summer, Jonathan dealt with a wide range of technology-related problems. When a woman brought in a computer that inexplicably would not turn on, he teamed up with the other Service Center employees to compare the computer’s hardware components to a similar computer in the center to determine the cause of the issue. Some issues that Jonathan encountered were simpler.

“Somebody tried to update their phone, and they switched it up and something happened,” Jonathan said. “We just turned the phone off and turned it back on, and it was like, ‘There it is.'”

During his time at the service center, Jonathan worked closely with the other service center interns.

“We spent a lot of time together, and we got to know each other pretty well,” Jonathan said. “I think that was my favorite part.”

No matter the difficulty of the issue he was tasked with resolving, Jonathan relished the opportunity to take a hands-on approach toward technological problems. His time at the ITS Service Center allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the process of diagnosing and solving IT issues and immerse himself in his love of technology in a way he never had before.

“I just wanted to be able to diagnose problems and help people fix their problems, especially relating to computers and stuff … That’s basically what ITS does.”

Playing Favorites
  • Favorite post-game meal: Chicken wings
  • Favorite place to study: “On campus, I use Bird. But Manley Field House is my favorite place off-campus.”
  • Favorite show to binge-watch: Shameless
  • Favorite video game: “I don’t play video games. I play games on my cell phone — probably Temple Run.”
  • Favorite emoji: “The crying one — the laughing and crying one, the one with the tears.”