With the support of the ILO, a young programmer turns his passion for technology into a social purpose through SENATIC
At just 17 years old, Marlon Santiago Hernández López already sees the world through code. Technology is not only an early passion for him but also a language for transforming realities. Through the SENATIC project, the ILO is supporting the growth of a digital talent who blends Frontend ecosystem skills, an entrepreneurial vision and a clear ambition: to innovate with social impact.
10 December 2025
Bogotá (ILO News) Marlon Santiago Hernández López was born in Bogotá on 17 June 2008. His journey with technology began even before he learned to write: at the age of three he was already familiar with the family computer and, guided by his brother, took his first steps in programming by creating small games on educational platforms.
He is currently in year 11 at the Nueva Estancia de Suba Educational Institution in Bogotá. There, in addition to standing out for his technical curiosity, he is recognised as a disciplined young man shaped by values of resilience, effort and a clear sense of direction. The SENATIC project – driven by the Ministry of ICT, SENA and the ILO – has marked a turning point in his path: it strengthened his motivation to learn, boosted his recognition of his own abilities and increased his confidence to share them with others. Through SENATIC, he and his classmates are taking the software programming course.
Marlon is developing in the Frontend ecosystem – which encompasses all the tools, technologies and frameworks that make up the visible and interactive part of a website or application, that is, what the user sees and interacts with. He has already developed websites, mobile applications and desktop solutions, integrating design, functionality and user experience. His knowledge goes beyond the classroom: he applies it to society through the planning of productive and useful projects, convinced that technology is here to stay and to improve the lives of communities.
His goal is to establish an enterprise that connects software development with a social purpose. In the short term, he aims to create a company that produces technological solutions to simplify human work and contribute to collective well-being. In this ambition, he finds family pride, an entrepreneurial vision of the future, and a distinctive trait: innovating not only to create, but to serve.
Marlon’s journey is proof of a generation that understands the power of digital tools to open opportunities and close gaps. His story is only beginning, but his future is already being written in lines of code, determination and purpose. Because there are young people who not only ask where they are going, but what they will change once they get there.
