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Meet IB alum Alejandro Machado: computer scientist and world traveller

By Alejandro Machado

IB alum Alejandro Machado has studied and lived in Venezuela, Spain, Sweden, Germany, and the United States.

IB alum Alejandro Machado has studied and lived in Venezuela, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, and the US.

In 2007, I graduated from the Instituto Educacional Juan XXIII in Valencia, Venezuela. Beyond the strong academic focus any IB World School should have, my school stands out for fostering a sense of community and exemplary values. We’re all a big family, and I never miss out on an opportunity to visit when I’m in town. I have very fond memories of my time in the IB Diploma Programme (DP).

After completing the DP, I studied computer science in Caracas, spent a semester abroad in Sweden, and completed a dual Master’s degree in the US and Portugal. Since graduation, I’ve been working on location-independent jobs and I’ve been thinking about how to support my school’s innovative projects to use technology for better learning outcomes. I have also spent some time in Venezuela, Spain and Germany.

Some people ask me why I’ve moved so much, but why not? We live in this increasingly interdependent world, and it’s so beautiful to learn other people’s languages, take part in their cultural traditions, and teach them about your own country. Living in different places is a great way to build up empathy, which in my opinion, is the most important human trait.

Moving to Sweden after 21 years of a warm and lively Latin American upbringing taught me to appreciate a calmer lifestyle. It took a tad longer to make new Swedish friends, but their kindness and sincerity is really touching.

Silicon Valley was a completely different experience for me, where I found that many people are always busy thinking about how to best enable a technology-driven future. Despite this hyper-competitiveness, the people I met were also very helpful, especially to newcomers.

The Germans I met were honest, sometimes brutally so, but their hearts are as big as Europe. The way Berlin has taken in and cared for people fleeing from war will be recorded in history as exemplary.

What’s next for me? I just became a member of a volunteer initiative that teaches people to code. We’re in the middle of an information revolution. Most of us are software users, but not software creators. Few people can understand code, let alone adapt it to their needs. I envision a world where knowing how to program a computer is a skill as fundamental as being able to read and write, where everyone can use this powerful medium to improve their lives.

The DP is great for cultivating the mindset of today’s world citizen. You’re not “done” when you graduate, graduation is the beginning of your journey. With whatever career you choose to pursue, go out into the world, look at it openly, and understand why people do what they do. You’ll end up learning who you are, what set of values you identify with, and what kind of lifestyle fits your personality. Your unique set of skills and knowledge can help your local community and the world at large.


Contributing author Alejandro Machado is an IB alumni who graduated from Instituto Educacional Juan XXIII in Valencia, Venezuela. After completing the IB Diploma Programme, he studied computer science and enjoys experiencing different cultures.

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