Blog It Forward – Alexandra Carvalho

Introduction

This is the first time I write something about me that is not work-related. It feels a bit awkward, but I think it’s just a question of getting myself started. Graham Robinson was a great inspiration for my BIF.

I have been working with SAP for nearly 16 years. I had just finished my Engineering degree when I started working as a graduate for PwC. I was sent to Philadelphia for an ABAP Academy and came back as a certified and “qualified” ABAP expert 🙂

After 2 years working as an ABAPer I decided to take on new “adventures” and started working with BW. I discovered myself!

I live in Melbourne and have been working for BI Group Australia since 2006, where I have had the opportunity to do everything under the BI sun.

In the BI Group booth at the SAUG Summit 2012

Passions

Apart from being passionate about my work, I love travelling and have been to around 40 countries. I have a world globe on my desk and it is a reminder that I still need to get out and about to visit more places.

I also enjoy sports and have been keeping myself busy with that. So far, I have done white-water rafting, abseiling, scuba diving, rollerblading (my favourite spot is Hyde Park in London, where I used to rollerblade with a bunch of great people!), hang-gliding, sky-diving, bungee-jumping, trekking (still want to trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kinabalu), cycling (I am mad about my road bike!), running (that’s what I do on a daily basis) and Ashtanga Yoga.

Hang Gliding in Rio

Roller Blading in Hyde Park

One of my great passions is animals, and Africa has a special place in my heart. I want to visit many amazing places in this awesome breathtaking continent: Okavango Delta, Botswana, Serengeti in Tanzania and I can name a list. In South Africa, I want to go shark cage-diving (definitely inside a cage). I would love to see a great white in South Africa – it’s the only place in the world where they leap out of the water.

A visit to the Galapagos Islands is also on the top of my wish-list. I have an immense attraction to that paradise on Earth. Whilst there, I want to scuba dive in Cocos Islands. It’s one of the best diving spots in the world – amazing marine biodiversity and lots of hammerhead sharks.

I would also love to go to Antarctica and get to see glaciers, penguins and the spectacular scenery.

I still have fond memories of the Maldives – I really loved it, but don’t know if it is my favourite place in the world. I loved scuba diving with majestic, gracious and giant manta rays!

Manta ray in the Maldives

My dogs

I don’t have kids but feel utterly happy to talk about my two beautiful dogs – they are both Papillons. My little princess is called Lily. She is 2 ½ years old. The other one is Bella. She is nearly 3 months old and has been with us for 2 weeks. They are bundles of joy. I walk them every day in the park and it’s always a fantastic way to start my day.

Lily

Bella

Who are your role models – and why?

My father was my role model. He guided and encouraged me in my journey and his guidance was fundamental to shape who I am today. Even though I have always been a minority in the choices I have made, I have always had the confidence to pursue my dreams: I was one of the few women in Mathematics, Physics, Engineering and later on in my professional life, but I always believed that if you have the willingness to do things, you can always succeed in whatever you set your mind to. 

What can we do to attract students to the IT industry?

Get passionate IT people to go to universities and talk with the enthusiasm, energy and passion that young students have. They will be able to see themselves on you. Speak as if you were one of them and let them see you as a role model for their future careers. I am sure if one of them asked you if you would do it again you would certainly respond with million reasons that “not only again but again and again and again”. Spread the word, spread the passion for IT!

I am blogging it forward to Sanjiv Bansal, Axel Memminger, Simon Turnbull and Renato Silva, fellow SAP colleagues for whom I have great admiration.

· What’s it like to attend an SAP TechEd or SAPPHIRE event?

· What do you enjoy most in your work and why?

I hope you enjoyed the read and I want to thank Graham Robinson for introducing me to BIF and for being a great inspiration!