More than a decade ago, back in the distant year 2009, my life took an unexpected turn. I was living in a foreign country, facing a colossal change as I ventured into the world of Oracle APEX technology. At that time, it was all utterly foreign to me.

I often believe that things happen for a reason, and my journey into the realm of Oracle APEX began thanks to a college friend, Gisela, who visited my home in Tampa, Florida, during that period. She introduced me to the intriguing universe of Oracle technologies. However, the captivating version 4.0 of Application Express truly captured my attention, perhaps because it revolved around development rather than database administration. I embarked on a journey to unravel the mystery of this tool, which promised the creation of web applications without the need to write code, relying on the declarative creation of components.

I must admit that, initially, it all seemed like an indecipherable enigma. How was it possible to develop web applications in such a seemingly simple way? My mind was filled with doubts, but my curiosity persisted. I came from the programming world in Visual Basic 6.0, where creating an application was based on lines of code, not declarative wizards.

It was in 2012 when I embarked on a significant journey, a voyage of self-discovery into the world of Oracle APEX. With each step I took, my determination grew, and my desire to share my knowledge with the Spanish-speaking community grew more assertive. I knew this powerful tool had a glaring lack of Spanish content.

The years went by, and we organized the Oracle APEX Tour year after year. This event initially brought together Oracle user groups from Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina and later expanded to include ten countries across Latin America! It was during these experiences that I met wonderful people and forged lasting friendships.

But a twist of fate allowed me to participate in the live event in 2012, thanks to my employer at the time, SkillBuilders. That year, I had the chance to meet prominent APEX figures like my friend Daniel Bozzolo, who is no longer with us today. I also met Daniel McGhan, an extraordinary person who taught me and helped me in my early steps with Oracle APEX 😊, as well as all my friends from the leadership of the User Groups of Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Although I couldn't attend in the following years, I always maintained my commitment to spreading Oracle APEX among Latin communities.

In 2013, I dared to take the Oracle APEX Tour of Latin America in California, and it was an extraordinary experience! After that, the event changed its name and became the Oracle Developer Tour. Despite tireless work in the organization, I couldn't always attend due to the travel costs from California to other countries.

Throughout these years, I remember the endless meetings to organize events, the voluntary work creating websites, and the dedication to promoting Oracle products. Life moves on, careers evolve, and on this journey, I met exceptional people, some of whom are no longer with us, like Joel Kallman, who always supported me to continue my work evangelizing Oracle APEX in Spanish! Whom I fondly remember today.

For over a decade, I have dedicated much of my life to spreading Oracle APEX in Spanish. I am satisfied that this tool has solidified as the top low-code solution in Oracle's arsenal, playing a vital role in the company's strategy towards AI-backed technologies and low-code. We see it today when Larry Ellison and many other speakers mention APEX in his/her keynotes at Oracle Cloud World 2023 in Las Vegas!

I always envisioned that APEX would be a formidable tool for web application development, and today, I am delighted to see that it is the number one tool for Oracle Corporation in their enterprise solutions.

On this exciting journey, I have had the honor of writing the first three books in Spanish about Oracle APEX, creating numerous courses in Spanish, and writing hundreds of articles about this exciting tool.

My journey continues, steady and constant, and most importantly, it has allowed me to meet extraordinary people and be part of an exceptional group like the ACE Program. I hope the thousands of students who have passed through my classes experience the same passion and joy of spreading this practical tool.

Let's keep moving forward together, building upon the foundations that Joel laid many years ago. Let's proudly affirm that Oracle APEX is our preferred low-code tool. I offer my heartfelt gratitude to all who have been part of this journey!

Joel Kallman, Daniel Bozzolo, Fernando García, Marcelo Vazquez, Gisela Velazco, Daniel MacGhan, Javier Porrata, Adrian Filomeni, Marcelo Burgos, Monica Godoy, Marcelo Ochoa, Gustavo Gonzalez, Rita Nuñez, Lisandro Fernigrini, Javier Morales, José Manuel Preda, Javier Gallardo, Juan Pablo Di Fiori, Dimitri Gielis, Jackie McIlroy, Jennifer Nicholson, Jonathan Dixon, Joel Perez, Eddie Molina, Marco Lazo, Lorena Vénica, Francisco Gonzalez Lezcano, Edel Kammermann, Nelson Calero, Francis Mignault

And many more have been a part of this learning and professional growth journey!

Thank you very much, everyone!