“Share more”

Inés Temes Fuertes is the Director of 42 Madrid. After more than 10 years working at Telefónica Educación Digital, and two and a half years on employability projects, she embraced her love for education and learning methodologies.

How are you feeling as the Director of 42 Madrid?

“I feel privileged! I am very lucky to work with such a great, committed staff. I love being close to the students and watching them progress and shape their professional careers. It is exciting to see entrepreneurial projects from students and contribute to creating an ecosystem for companies to learn about the talent in 42 and help promote the goal of employability.”

How is 42 Madrid received in the education community?

“Sometimes schools or universities can feel that 42 is ‘too’ new — with no teachers or formal classes — and they may feel slightly threatened. They are, however, prepared to come to 42 Madrid and try to understand the methodology. They know they need to offer alternatives to their students, because sometimes traditional methods does not work well. When educators visit us and talk to the students, they become more open-minded. The 42 model works for some people and university works for others. There is a place for everyone and the idea is to have two different options.”

What is the mood here at 42 Madrid?

“Our campus, our gardens, and also our weather, encourages us to share more with others. For example, when we organize a hackathon, we have dinner that usually consists of pizza and a coke. At the moment, due to COVID, we are not allowed to have lunch or dinner inside. So, thanks to our campus, there is no problem to have pizza outside because the weather is amazing. It’s really nice to be able to share more between us.”

Diversity is a strong value at 42. What does it mean to you?

“What I love most about diversity is that it implies empathy, acceptance, coexistence, and tolerance. Because we are very connected with the Latin American population, diversity is more important than ever. 42 is a place for opportunities for everyone. Working in a place where your values are in tune with your work is really amazing.”

What’s in hold for 42 Madrid?

We’ve got two major goals already set. First, we are focusing more on female students: we wish to attract them and care for them at 42 Madrid! Also, I’m very interested in connecting 42 with 16 to 17 years old students. Even if they are not permitted come here at the moment, we have to start to inspire them. We have to do something in schools with the teachers, with the directors, and work more with this collective. It’s a huge challenge, but an amazing one!”