We’re proud to spotlight @Mateus_Leonardi today as our “Champion of the Month”. Leonardi is the CTO of HeroSpark, an exceptional community advocate for many years, and a MongoDB Champion for 1.5 years. He has had an extraordinary impact on developers and educators throughout Brazil.
We asked him some questions about his journey, so read through to learn more about the icon that is Leonardi.
Tell us about your path to becoming a MongoDB Champion.
My journey, spanning over +17 years, began with a search for flexibility and adaptability, which I found in MongoDB’s document model. I quickly realized it was the engine for innovating with speed without compromising performance or quality.
The path to the Champions program was a natural calling to give back the knowledge I had received throughout my career. Seeing technology transform my life motivated me to apply my engineering leadership experience at HeroSpark to foster a culture of collective learning and help others transform their realities. The nomination formalized this mission to be a growth catalyst within the community.
You’ve been a MongoDB Champion for 1 year and 6 months. What drives you to continue helping the community?
What drives me is the cycle of giving back knowledge and a strong desire to help others, a principle I learned from my mentors. The community’s success proves that technology can, in fact, change lives. Technically, MongoDB remains the pillar that allows us to innovate with consistency at HeroSpark. My belief in its flexibility and resilience motivates me to advocate for the technology. Furthermore, the community is my largest classroom, where I am constantly challenged, forced to reflect on my limitations, and grow collectively. The reward is the shared journey with fellow developers.
Can you share one impactful moment you’ve had as a Champion so far?
For sure, when I’m in events where I can hear or talk about MongoDB and change lives through the technology, I get inspired and inspire others.
MongoDB Champions Summit is my favorite event, and I’ll never get tired of it. It’s a place full of very talented people, where I learn every single minute, talking about technical things or even just joking (and I love jokes!). I’m a true fan of those fellows, and I love every opportunity I get to talk to and learn from them.
If you could share one piece of advice to people in tech, what would that be?
Allow yourself to be frustrated, allow yourself to make mistakes, and, in doing so, always allow yourself to receive help and learn from every failure or success. There’s no need to feel ashamed for not knowing something; every day is a good day to learn something new.
My greatest fortune in life is having many people who have helped me and still do. The MongoDB community stands out for being open and welcoming to everyone, making the interaction very pleasant and enriching. Because at the end of the day, nothing resists hard work.
Where can developers connect with or learn more about you?
They can find me on LinkedIn at Mateus Leonardi 
Thank you very much, Mateus Leonardi, for sharing your story with us today and for all the incredible work you’ve done for the MongoDB community. We can’t wait to see what you share next in the community.
