Outreachy Blog #1: Introducing Myself

Who am I?

Hello!

I am Oyindamola Olatunji, a software developer and technical writer from Lagos, Nigeria. I am an Outreachy intern working on Wikimedia’s Capacity Exchange (CapX) project. At the end of my internship, I hope to look back and reflect on my experiences, learning, and growth. I look forward to learning some basic Portuguese along the way (my project team is based in Brazil).

I have interests in human-computer interaction, mental health, and artificial intelligence. Recently, I completed my undergraduate degree in computer science from Obafemi Awolowo University. Studying computer science gave me access to people, opportunities, and resources, for which I am grateful.

A social cause that is dear to me is improving the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their caregivers. On the side, I enjoy reading African fiction, cooking, and spending time with my loved ones.

What drives me?

Three core values that resonate with me at this time are responsibility, resilience, and growth.

Responsibility

For the things I desire to achieve, I believe that I am responsible for taking informed steps and making decisions from where I am to where I want to be. I am in the driver’s seat of things in my control, so I wouldn’t leave them to chance. Thus, it also includes showing up in my personal and professional lives.

Resilience

Seasons come and go in nature and in one’s life. When I am going through a challenge or hard time, I know that there are takeaways and insights to learn from, even though it is quite hard to admit that in the face of challenges. Tough times don't last, so I will always bounce back from difficult situations and restrategize or change my plans with the help of God, family, and friends.

Growth

My lifelong goal is always to be an improved and better version of myself in personal and professional scenarios. This core value was instrumental in choosing a project during the contribution phase. I chose the CapX project because it is centred around the mutual growth of Wikimedia projects, people, and society at large.

People and things, including software and projects, must evolve to be a better version. I am always seeking opportunities to develop myself and my environment at large.

Why Outreachy?

During the lockdown in 2020, I attended an online event organized by She Codes Africa, where I was introduced to open source and had the opportunity to make my first pull request using git and GitHub. The facilitator also gave an overview of open-source programs we can contribute to; that was the first time I heard about Outreachy. It didn’t make sense to me then, so I searched the internet for videos and articles about the Outreachy internship to learn more about it.

My research motivated me to apply to Outreachy, as it was an opportunity to give back and contribute to free and open software and tools that I use regularly or daily.

Fast forward to 2021. My initial application for the December 2021 round was rejected. After receiving constructive feedback from friends and a past intern, I applied for the March 2022 round for the second time, only to have my initial application rejected again. I was not too pleased with the outcome; however, I knew I needed to improve myself ahead of the next round, which led me to start technical writing, especially API documentation and user guides.

For the December 2022 round, I applied for the third time and successfully proceeded to the contribution phase. Choosing a project was quite overwhelming. I was so glad to have started technical writing a few weeks before, as it helped me contribute to some user guides on Jupyerhub’s documentation. Two weeks into the contribution phase, something happened.

Outreachy organizers withdrew my initial application (without an accepted initial application, you can’t literally contribute to an Outreachy project). Perhaps you are wondering why such a thing happened, especially when everything seems fine.

Well, it happened to be that Nigerian government-owned universities (including my school) just called off an 8-month industrial strike action. That meant a change in my time commitment as my school tried to cover lost ground in such a short time.

Though I could not continue with that application, I considered it pure joy and pleased with myself. Having a merged pull request to the official Jupyter documentation was a win for me.

The fourth attempt proved to be successful 😊. Some weeks after I wrote my final school exams, I applied for the December 2023 round. I was selected as an Outreachy intern with the Wikimedia community.

In all of this, I kept trying, improving my skills, and not giving up because I believe the Outreachy internship is a leveler, providing everyone with an equal opportunity. Regardless of the systemic difference around you, be it gender, race, geographical location, or even work experience (by the way, you will see this a lot while making your Outreachy application), you are given a chance to start or grow your tech career across different roles, working on real-world projects that make an impact and make the world go round.

Here are some of the benefits of Outreachy

• You get to work with a diverse team.

• You have experienced mentors to guide and review your work.

• Your contributions will impact hundreds of people.

• You will forge new connections and relationships.

• You will also get a stipend during your internship.

I hope you found this article interesting and motivating to apply for the next Outreachy round and contribute to open source projects.

To more open-source contributions🎉,

Oyin