“Eventually after applying for Session 5 of Djangonaut Space, I was selected for Team Mars 🚀 ! I was so inspired that I continued working on the Django issue I had dropped and finally that was merged just yesterday after over a year of work on and off 🎉.”

I started using Django in 2012 but focused on JavaScript for several years before returning in 2020. I used the framework extensively and was still intimidated at the prospect of contributing to such a well established open source project. Finally I decided to volunteer at DjangoConUS and to my surprise at the organizers meeting they encouraged me to co-chair contribution sprints! How could I co-chair sprints when I had only just started working on my first issue in the framework? In spite of my worries, they were supportive, and I followed that path becoming a proud member of the Django community.

It was a bumpy road with some setbacks though! Late in 2024 I used the “vulture” method to find and begin working on what was then a 14 year old bug in Django. After several months of struggles and delayed feedback, I figured someone other than myself would end up taking the issue, as I might not be able to complete it. I also applied to Session 4 of djangonaut.space but was not accepted initially due to the large number of applicants.

Yet after getting to know so many awesome people in the community, they suggested with my experience I’d fit better as a captain in the program than a participant. Eventually after applying for Session 5 of Djangonaut Space, I was selected for Team Mars 🚀 ! I was so inspired that I continued working on the Django issue I had dropped and finally that was merged just yesterday after over a year of work on and off 🎉. Also in recognition of services and contribution to the Django community, I was nominated, seconded and approved as an Individual Member of the Django Software Foundation.

Gratitude

Open source is a funny thing. We use our personal time working for free to maintain the libraries that run the world. While it costs us time and money, we end up full of gratitude for the people, and it does seem to pay off in a strange karmic way. If I had to list the names of who to thank here it would be hundreds of lines long and go back decades. Instead I just want to thank the Django community as a whole and everyone who has invested their energy into helping others along the way. Thank you!