Starting My Outreachy Journey: A New Beginning

In this new chapter of my open source journey, I’m exicted to share that through Outreachy, I will be contributing to VisualData's JSON Schema enhancements—bringing JSON Schema into MediaWiki. I’ll be working with the Wikimedia community, filled with passionate minds and my brilliant mentors.

Hello! My name is Ademola Omosanya, and I’m excited to start my Outreachy internship. I’m a software developer with a strong interest in web development, open source, and using technology to create meaningful solutions. I work mostly with JavaScript, React, Node.js, and Python, and I love building user-friendly applications that solve real-world problems.
This moment is meaningful to me because it’s been a long time coming, this is my fifth time applying to Outreachy since 2022. Each application taught me something new, helped me grow, and pushed me to keep striving. Being selected this round feels like a powerful reminder that persistence pays off.

My core values are Success, Self-Respect, and Challenge.

I value Success not just as an outcome, but as a journey of consistent effort and growth. Each small win builds momentum and strengthens my belief in what's possible. For me, success is deeply tied to learning, creating impact, and becoming a better version of myself alongside with so much Failure, i have a quote that says “the greatest success comes from freedom to fail” .
Self-Respect reminds me to honor my boundaries, embrace my worth, and stand by my values even when it's hard. It’s what keeps me grounded and authentic especially in a fast-paced, ever-changing tech world.
Finally, I thrive on Challenge. I’m driven by problems that make me think differently or stretch beyond my comfort zone. Whether it’s debugging tricky code or contributing to a large codebase, challenge fuels my growth and keeps me curious.

Why I Applied to Outreachy

I applied to Outreachy because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself something meaningful, inclusive, and global. I’ve always admired how open source brings people together from all backgrounds to build useful tools and share knowledge freely. Outreachy stood out to me because it not only opens doors into the world of open source but also makes a conscious effort to support people from underrepresented groups in tech.
This is not my first time applying, I’ve tried before. Each time taught me something new and pushed me to grow. Being selected this cycle is a huge milestone, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity.

About My Project

During this Outreachy internship, I’ll be working with the Wikimedia community on enhancing VisualData’s JSON Schema integration. The goal is to bring JSON Schema support into MediaWiki, which will improve how structured data is handled and validated on the platform.
As someone passionate about web development and improving user experience, this project is a perfect fit for me. I’ll be diving into MediaWiki’s codebase, learning more about schema structures, and contributing code that helps make data more consistent and usable across Wikimedia platforms.

Final Thoughts

Getting into Outreachy after several tries has taught me that persistence really does pay off. If you're dreaming of something big, don't give up. Keep learning, keep trying, and believe that your effort will lead to something great. We all start somewhere, And this is just my beginning.