R29 Profile: Claudia Sosa

This article was originally published on June 29th, 2016

What’s your name and where are you from?

My name is Claudia. I was born in New York and raised in New Jersey.

What is your job title at Refinery29 and what do you do?

I’m a Quality Assurance engineer here at R29. Anytime our team deploys a new feature or a bug fix to production, QA is the last step in the process before it goes live. My job is to ensure each product meets the highest quality standards to ensure the best possible experience for all R29 readers. I help support several platforms including our desktop site, mobile feed, a proprietary content-management system, an iOS app, etc. I work closely with developers and product management throughout the lifetime of every project.

How did you get into engineering?

I have family in tech and they helped me learn more of the many opportunities available to me. I liked what I was exposed to and enrolled myself into a computer science program. I developed somewhat of an understanding on the areas in tech I could possibly work in at that time. I interviewed for a position right after college, then started my first real job in tech. That’s when I was introduced to what happens behinds the scenes and I was truly fascinated.

What’s a recent project that you’re proud of?

We launched a responsive homepage last month that sits on a spanking new backend architecture. We came across a few challenges but at the end we launched a great product that we learned a lot from. Even though this launch was only the beginning of what remains to be transitioned over to the new architecture, it’s rewarding to see the positive impact we are starting to see already.

If you weren’t an engineer, what would you want to be doing?

I would love to hand select pieces from local emerging talented designers to sell in this imaginary clothing store of mine. It would be the go to place of a woman that exudes confidence, that’s not afraid of taking risks and loves wearing colors. I would also tie in a unique virtual experience to anyone visiting the store. I’d enjoy doing anything art related, really… I’d also love to dedicate time to learn another language, perhaps Portuguese.

What’s your favorite thing about working at R29?

I really enjoy being a part of a team of so many creative people. I admire the fact that each person brings a unique aspect to the company. It’s great to be surrounded by individuals that are always up to learning something new and are willing to challenge one another.

When you go to the bodega to get milk, what are your other impulse buys while there?

I’m a big fan of sour and watermelon flavored candy. Watermelon slice pops. watermelon sour patches, and watermelon blow pops. When I’m not in the mood for sugar, I usually gravitate towards anything spicy- hot flamin’ cheetos or hot cheese popcorn.

– Claudia Sosa, QA Engineer