Diversity in tech is a big issue that we are all trying to address. When I heard that the DotNetFoundation was opening up the board, I knew it was something I had to put my hat into the ring for.
So who am I to think I might be good for this role?
Well I am a proudly neurodiverse, gay, non-binary (although I am happy with she/her pronouns), fairly junior developer who is also a Microsoft MVP. This means I am able to relate to being an underrepresented person in technology, and want to be a positive role model so others like me or in other underrepresented groups can see that anyone can do it!
I graduated in 2014 and started as a Software Development Graduate. Not everything I did on my 2 years as a Grad was coding, so I certainly don't have the decades of experience of some people on the board, or even others running for a seat on the board. But I think what I lack in experience I make up for in passion and dedication.
But actually I strongly believe that setting up a positive experience for everyone, especially more junior developers benefits everybody, and my lesser years of experience is a bonus. It means I can more closely relate to the feelings of Imposter Syndrome and being overwhelmed by all this code we don't recognise or don't automatically find ourselves understanding like those with more experience.
As you will see in my contributions section below, I have never made a code-related contribution to OSS, I have in fact only ever made docs ones. Why? Because I find myself intimidated by making code changes to fix an issue.
So one of the things I want to do if I join the board, is focus as much time as I can on making the experience as positive as possible for people when they want to contribute to OSS. I want to try and set up workshops where people can come together and attempt their first pull request.
I also want to make available documents on tips and tricks for approaching fixing an issue or adding a new feature. Things like how best to try and understand the code, approaches for debugging and things like that. I am open to suggestions on what you would like to see!
I have only been active in the community really for under 2 years but since discovering it, I have found it to be an amazing place with amazing people from all walks of life, and I would love to use my position on the board to make things more inclusive, welcoming and fun for everyone!
My .NET Contributions
Xamarin Docs - I make quite a few contributions to Microsoft docs, mainly in the area of Xamarin.
However I have also submitted PR for typos in Microsoft workshops and other content.
Weekly Xamarin - I am co-curator of this newsletter which collects together fantastic content created by those in the community over the past week and sends it out to our 3600 subscribers.
Soundbite.FM Official Editor - I am the editor for Soundbite.FM, the podcast network from Principal Program Manager for Mobile Tools at Microsoft, James Montemagno. As well as ensuring all his podcast episode descriptions are typo free and make sense, I also edit his personal blog where he posts about all things .NET, mainly Xamarin.
.NET Foundation Campaign: Luce Carter
Why I'm Running
Diversity in tech is a big issue that we are all trying to address. When I heard that the DotNetFoundation was opening up the board, I knew it was something I had to put my hat into the ring for.
So who am I to think I might be good for this role?
Well I am a proudly neurodiverse, gay, non-binary (although I am happy with she/her pronouns), fairly junior developer who is also a Microsoft MVP. This means I am able to relate to being an underrepresented person in technology, and want to be a positive role model so others like me or in other underrepresented groups can see that anyone can do it!
I graduated in 2014 and started as a Software Development Graduate. Not everything I did on my 2 years as a Grad was coding, so I certainly don't have the decades of experience of some people on the board, or even others running for a seat on the board. But I think what I lack in experience I make up for in passion and dedication.
But actually I strongly believe that setting up a positive experience for everyone, especially more junior developers benefits everybody, and my lesser years of experience is a bonus. It means I can more closely relate to the feelings of Imposter Syndrome and being overwhelmed by all this code we don't recognise or don't automatically find ourselves understanding like those with more experience.
As you will see in my contributions section below, I have never made a code-related contribution to OSS, I have in fact only ever made docs ones. Why? Because I find myself intimidated by making code changes to fix an issue.
So one of the things I want to do if I join the board, is focus as much time as I can on making the experience as positive as possible for people when they want to contribute to OSS. I want to try and set up workshops where people can come together and attempt their first pull request.
I also want to make available documents on tips and tricks for approaching fixing an issue or adding a new feature. Things like how best to try and understand the code, approaches for debugging and things like that. I am open to suggestions on what you would like to see!
I have only been active in the community really for under 2 years but since discovering it, I have found it to be an amazing place with amazing people from all walks of life, and I would love to use my position on the board to make things more inclusive, welcoming and fun for everyone!
My .NET Contributions
Links
Contact Information