Justin Largo ’21 explains it like this. “Imagine spending a lot of money on a brand-new sports car, and when you open the driver’s side door, the handle falls off.” As a test developer, Largo stress tests every feature to make sure the user’s “door handle” doesn’t snap. Except, Largo isn’t making luxury vehicles.
Largo scored an internship with IBM the summer before his senior year, and by the end of that summer, his role had evolved into a part-time job. When Largo graduated, IBM brought him on full-time, and since, he’s moved states, been promoted, switched divisions multiple times, and has worked on “every part of the entire software development lifecycle.” But, he’s still at IBM, and he still loves what he does.
Largo lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, about a 30-minute commute to Research Triangle Park (RTP) – the largest science park in the country. IBM is the park’s biggest corporate tenant, with a four-building complex and more than 750,000 square feet. Largo is a member of IBM’s z Platform Evaluation Team (z/PET), and he alternates between the research park and his home office, where he’ll often test automation in Siena gear. Over the past four years, Largo’s also contributed as a software developer, machine learning engineer, and a technical architect.
“I’ve used all the skills Siena taught me. Servant leadership particularly comes to mind. Being a leader on a team sometimes means working weekends or looking for opportunities to mentor colleagues. I personally want each new member of the team to be successful, and I want to be invested in their journey.”
Most people don’t use mainframes – but from an ATM transaction to booking train or plane tickets, everyone is, in some way, touching a mainframe every day. Justin’s team tests the applications that support mainframes to anticipate problems before they happen. It’s not the job that Largo was hired to do, but his commitment to lifelong learning has been an asset at IBM.
“I love to learn. When technology changes so quickly, you have to enjoy the challenge of picking up something new. I was not an artificial intelligence early adopter. But learning to embrace AI, and teaching myself how to train algorithms, that’s created a new world of opportunities I hadn’t expected.”
As noted in Largo’s April 2021 ‘Intern Journal,’ he’s always wanted to build things. Recently, Largo earned his first patent, an opportunity he’s grateful to IBM for. He wants to continue to build and invent, and he’s focused on harnessing AI to help workers, not replace them.
“Empathy is another value I learned at Siena. I want to help people achieve their goals. The team functions better if I can uplift colleagues and help them perform at the best level.”
When Largo’s team succeeds, you never know they were there. We’re touching “door handles” every time we swipe a card or log into a website. There’s a reason those handles don’t fall off.
