Creativity and precision

From mathematics to artificial intelligence, via training and inclusion. The story of Elena Cerbara, now SR Analyst Database Administrator at Avanade, is one of female talent that has managed to combine passion, study and social commitment. At the leading creative and digital consulting company in the Microsoft ecosystem, Elena manages and optimises corporate databases, ensuring data security, performance and integrity. She collaborates with technical and analytical teams to support data-driven strategic decisions.

A graduate in Mathematics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Elena is now 31 years old. From an early age, she dreamed of “creating with computers” without knowing that it was called programming and that one day she would even become a cloud professional.

Throughout her career, Elena has never lost her desire to share, give back and train others. Elena's adventure with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale began in 2019 as a tutor for the Coding Girls programme. She immediately became a point of reference for hundreds of female students passionate about STEM.

In 2021, she also became a trainer for the Ambizione Italia per i giovani project and was selected by the Foundation, together with another young woman, to participate in theAcademy ‘Cloud Platform Engineer’, promoted byMicrosoft Italia andExperis [see the news item A job in the cloud]. From there, her professional path opened up: she joined Avanade, where she now works in data management and generative AI.

In addition to IT and training, her interests include animals and the art of weaving: she has taken two courses to learn more about box braids and extensions, proving that creativity and precision can go hand in hand.

Elena is back in the spotlight at RomeCup 2025: in the workshop she runs as part of her corporate volunteering programme, she guides students in discovering the strategic role of databases in generative artificial intelligence. This is a new opportunity for her to give back, as always, what she has learned: “I believe that one of the purposes of human beings is to spread what they know by interacting with others,” she tells us. She also acts as a mentor in the Small Businesses, Big Opportunities challenge workshop, the final stage of an original programme developed as part of the Ital.IA Lab project.

Here are her answers to some questions posed by Onelia Onorati.

What is your current role?

I work at Avanade as an SR Analyst DBA. I am responsible for database management and optimisation, with a growing focus on integration with generative AI.

How did your passion for IT come about?

It all started when I was a child, with a Commodore 128 we had at home. My father used to program little games for us, and that's where I discovered my desire to “create with computers”. I didn't know it was called programming yet, but I knew it would be part of my future.

And maths?

Maths was my bridge to programming. At university, I started with the C language, moved into systems engineering and then discovered the world of databases, which is now my main field.

How did you come across Fondazione Mondo Digitale?

Through Valentina Gelsomini, who helped me study maths and physics at high school. She was the one who got me involved as a tutor in Coding Girls. It was a wonderful experience, allowing me to encounter many different realities and pass on what I knew. Training is sharing.

What brought you to Avanade?

I got to know the company during a cloud academy. At the end of the course, I was selected to join the team. I was struck by the positive atmosphere and the genuine focus on inclusion and diversity. There is collaboration, listening and even room to laugh. It's a great place to grow.

A personal curiosity: the braids?

Yes! I'm passionate about hair, especially braids. I took two courses to learn box braiding and extension techniques. It's a very creative and manual passion, different from my work, but equally satisfying.