Hauwa @ Azhiya

Category: Community

  • My HeroPress Essay: Finding my Global Family

    In May 2021, I got a DM from Topher DeRosia, the curator of the HeroPress

    Hello there! Could I convince you to do a HeroPress essay?

    Topher DeRosia, HeroPress

    I met Topher through his wife Cate. Cate and I volunteer with Big Orange Heart. She is the expansion lead for the HeroPress Network, cohost of Hallway Chats, Marketing Lead for Big Orange Heart’s WordFest Live, and an amazing person.

    What is HeroPress?

    HeroPress tells the stories of people who have leveraged WordPress and its community to change their lives and achieve their goals. Through these stories, global connections are made and conversations had that build a stronger community, more employment and educational opportunities, and easier access to resources.

    HeroPress

    My WordPress story

    At the time I had received Topher’s DM, I was in no shape to be writing anything legible. I said yes though and as time went on, I just couldn’t think of what to write about.

    Thank God for Topher’s patience! He gave me a topic to focus on and I was able to write the essay, 5 months after the initial request (sorry).

    Finding my global family (samun iyali na duniya) is now available on the HeroPress website in both English and Hausa. I am from Kaduna, Nigeria and when I saw the essays on HeroPress had been translated into different languages, I just had to make sure I represented my people.

    I hope you enjoy my story about how I got into WordPress, the life it gives me and why I stay.

  • I am a Yoast Care Fund Recipient

    I am a Yoast Care Fund Recipient

    Congratulations!!!!!

    With a headline like that, I scanned the email to check it wasn’t spam and then subsequently filed it under newsletters. I would get to it when I had time.

    Later that day, I was chatting with my fellow Make Training team rep, Courtney Robertson. During the conversation, it became very apparent that there was something in my inbox I should be paying attention to. So I had a look and scanned the email, this bit is important and I will explain why later.

    Courtney had nominated me to receive the Yoast Care fund.

    What is the Yoast Care fund?

    The Yoast Care fund aims to put people who have made significant contributions to WordPress in the spotlight. One can be nominated for their work on WordPress or contribution to the fund, which rewards people who have contributed (and therefore mean a lot) to WordPress.

    Yoast

    Reality sinks in

    I thanked Courtney for nominating me and then proceeded to review the questionnaire that was attached to the email. I told her which questions I was going to answer and then began to fill it out. The questionnaire is used to form the basis of an interview which is then posted on the Yoast Care fund blog.

    Remember when I said I only scanned the email. Well attached to it was a payment form and it was in completing this that it struck me – I wasn’t just being nominated, I had already been awarded the fund. I contacted Courtney to thank her once again. Of course, she laughed at the fact that it was only just sinking in.

    I submitted my forms and a few weeks later received my award of $500. My interview with the Yoast Care team can be found on their blog. I’m not entirely sure where I want to allocate the funds, but I will let you know what I decide.

    Yoast Care fund certificate
    My Yoast Care fund certificate, nominated by Courtney Robertson

    Thank you

    First of all, I want to say thank you to Courtney Robertson for nominating me. She is such a wonderful, caring, and knowledgeable person and the WordPress community is lucky to have her.

    Yoast, thank you for all that you do for the community and for making it possible for individuals like me to receive this fund.

    To the WordPress community who contribute to the WordPress project, thank you for welcoming me and for all the time and effort that you put into making WordPress. With 19 teams (at the time I’m writing this) there is no shortage of help needed. I contribute to at least 3 teams (Training, Accessibility and Marketing) so come join us if you want to help shape WordPress.