Meet Antonio Del Rio
Learn more about Antonio Del Rio, Alumni (Class of 2020)
Where are you living now and what are you doing?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have decided to stay in Luxembourg and take a gap year, and use this time to complete a number of online courses, and participate in several computer game development competitions and hackathons.
A couple of highlights - I was honoured to be awarded, together with my competition partner, second place in the LTS GameDev Challenge 2020. We donated EUR 1,000 of the prize money to the Luxembourg Institute of Health to support their COVID-19 vaccine development research and activities. In addition, my team was awarded first place during the Game of Code 2020 hackathon, where we developed a COVID-19 artificial intelligence application.
I am also excited to participate this academic year as a digital coach in the Luxembourg Red Cross - Creative Coding for All programme. It is a rewarding experience to teach young kids coding, and see them grow and develop confidence in their computer skills.
And… I have been spending quite some time on ‘social distancing nature walks and activities’, and have made some unexpected friends in the process, as seen in one of my pictures.
Do you feel that ISL adequately prepared you for this next step in your life?
Absolutely! I feel that ISL has not only given me knowledge and skills, it has also given confidence in the choices I make.
I am very grateful to the wonderful teachers I have had, and I really appreciate particularly in the current situation the great friendships I have made at ISL.
In addition, the many extracurricular activities, such as the ISL Cryptocurrency Club, the AMIS music festivals, and Yale Model Government Europe, have provided me with valuable experiences, and have broadened my interests. I definitely intend to continue in the areas ISL has opened for me in my upcoming university studies.
What has been the most challenging thing to overcome since leaving ISL and transitioning to your new environment during a global pandemic?
2020 has been a challenging year for everyone due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. For the Class of 2020, the year has brought cancellation of final IB exams, a COVID-modified graduation ceremony, and for many of us, including myself, disruption of our university plans.
For me, I guess a certain degree of uncertainty due to the current situation, and being outside of the comfortable, caring, and structured environment of ISL, has been the greatest challenge.
Do you have any interesting anecdotes to share about your life at University in Covid times?
Both Zoom and Webex experiences have been quite an adventure. It is amazing how “inventive” and persistent the uninvited participants to online meetings can be.
What do you miss most about ISL?
ISL
If you could give any advice to ISL’s current Senior Class, what would it be?
Enjoy this time - this is truly one of the greatest years, and one of the greatest experiences!
- Alumni