Tuesday, 22nd November 2022 was a hard day. Outreachy was selecting its next round of about 65 interns from a pool of over 1,300 applicants and I knew I did not stand a chance. But I really wanted to get into the program and so, in the evening when the acceptance/rejection emails were to hit our inboxes, I took a long walk to ease my nerves. When I got back home, I opened my email and there was this beauty smiling back at me.
To say I was elated would be an understatement. I could have jumped or shouted out in joy - I cannot recall exactly my first reaction. But I do remember making a long phone call to a friend and walking around my house in excitement. Being accepted into Outreachy was, and still is, a huge deal to me. First, because I do not fit the typical profile of Outreachy interns (92% of whom are women, for instance), and second, because I applied for a project that would allow me to sharpen a skill in an area in which I have been struggling to find a footing: bringing together writing and technology. Well, much to my surprise, I beat the odds and the project on which I will be working - Restructuring JupyterHub’s documentation using the Diataxis framework - is exactly what I need to grow as a technical writer.
In this introductory post, I will be sharing what Outreachy is, who I am, and what I will be working on as an intern with JupyterHub.
What is Outreachy?
Outreachy is a program that provides paid, remote internships to people from underrepresented groups in tech. The internships are typically three months long and focus on open-source software development. Outreachy internships are open to anyone who is 18 years or older and identifies with a group that is underrepresented in the tech industry, including but not limited to women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. Outreachy internships are a great opportunity for people who want to gain experience in the tech industry and make connections in the open-source community. Interns are paid a stipend for their work and receive mentorship and support from experienced industry professionals. The program also provides opportunities for networking and community building, as interns have the chance to work with and learn from other open-source contributors from around the world.
Who am I?
I am Allan Wasega, a flaneur of life and, generally, I like to describe myself as a researcher and writer. This past year, I have worked as a consultant technical writer at Tingle Software, a Nairobi-based software company in the intersection of finance, communications, identity verifications, and open-source software through its tool, a managed Dependabot for Azure DevOps. I have also served as an Operations Associate at Africa Podfest, whose work seeks to shine a spotlight on Africa’s podcasting scene and podcasters. I am also a committee member at KamiLimu, a structured mentorship program for students pursuing tech-aligned courses in higher education institutions in Kenya. Three of my core values are curiosity, meaningful work, and service. The three are kind of intertwined, in my opinion: because I am curious about the world around me, I seek to work in and with engaging areas and people, and, I believe that, in the end, all our efforts will not be worth a dime if they do not serve a bigger purpose than ourselves.
My Project with JupyterHub
My first encounter with Jupyter Notebooks was during my undergraduate studies when I used the software to run Python and machine learning programs. Little did I know that it was possible to deploy multiple notebooks for users, such as within a classroom setting, using JupyterHub. In this project, I will be helping to restructure JupyterHub’s documentation using the Diataxis framework. Why is this work important to me? Because (i) I am curious about this tool that can be employed to serve multiple instances of another platform that I used for years, (ii) it will enable me to apply and improve my technical writing skills while, at the same time, working with some wonderful people who are distributed around the world, and (iii) I will be enhancing a tool that, in my opinion, can be used to advance the skills of the next generation of computer technologists globally.
Let’s do this!
Awesome writing skills, Allan! I enjoyed reading this.