Article co-authored by Chris Idoko and Jona Azizaj

Today marks Day 6 and the last day of Fedora Week of Diversity (FWD) 2024! This exciting week-long celebration has been dedicated to honoring the diverse voices, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that enrich our vibrant Fedora community. Throughout Fedora Week of Diversity 2024, the DEI Team showcased the incredible stories and journeys of our members through engaging interviews and captivating social media spotlights.

Contributor Stories

Today’s Contributor Story comes from: Roseline Bassey

What’s your Fedora story? Take us back to your beginnings with Fedora!

My name is Roseline Bassey, and I’m from Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. I am a technical writer and open source contributor. 

My journey with Fedora began when my initial application to the Outreachy internship program was approved. On the Outreachy website, there is a dedicated project page that displays a list of open source organizations and their respective projects for each internship round. I remember scrolling through this page looking for a project to contribute to when I discovered Fedora. I quickly checked through the project’s description, and I knew I wanted to be involved with the Fedora community. 

So, my journey with Fedora began during the Outreachy contribution stage. I joined the marketing team’s matrix room, where I introduced myself and began my contribution with the guidance of my Mentors – Justin and Joseph. After that, I was selected as one of the Outreachy interns for Fedora. Before then, I had heard of Fedora, but I hadn’t had the chance to explore Fedora or its open source community. I have been contributing to open source for over a year, but Outreachy was my gateway into Fedora.

Fedora’s appeal and your contribution style: Tell us both!

I was drawn to Fedora because of its diverse and welcoming community. The collaborative environment and the opportunity to contribute to a “product” that is used globally were factors that piqued my interest. I wanted to be part of a community that values contributions from people from all different backgrounds around the globe.

What drives me to contribute in the specific ways that I do is my interest in writing, marketing, and community management. By writing articles and engaging in marketing activities for Fedora, I can contribute to Fedora in ways that align with my current strengths.

Fedora day-to-day: A walk-through of your Fedora involvement

As an intern with Fedora, my week is filled with diverse activities that keep me engaged and encourage continuous learning. The week starts with a stand-up meeting, during which I sync up with my mentors to review the tasks I will be working on for that week and discuss the projects I successfully completed in the previous week. My daily routine mainly involves writing documentation. I also serve as an editor for the CommBlog, where I edit and publish articles written by others. Additionally, I have weekly virtual meetings with other Fedora community members working in different parts of Fedora, such as the Fedora Accessibility Team and the DEI Team.

Since starting my internship, one project that has really excited me is working on the launch of the Fedora Ready Program. Although it hasn’t officially launched yet (at the time of this publication), I’m thrilled about the experiences it’s going to offer: like the experience of leading a project and following well-defined processes through to completion with the guidance of my mentors—which are experiences I am looking forward to. I also love getting involved in marketing and promoting events like the Fedora Week of Diversity 2024. Even when my internship wraps up, I’m looking forward to staying connected with the Fedora community and continuing to contribute to Fedora.

Image by Emma Kidney. CC BY-SA 4.0.