Akshaya Rane

WordPress turned my passion into purpose through community, contribution, and photography.

As a first-time participant, I had an amazing experience at Contributor Day and felt truly excited and inspired by the welcoming WordPress community.

For me, contributing to the WP community has always been about the thought.

I discovered that WordPress isn’t just a technology but a community that transformed my frustration into purpose, confidence, and a passion for helping others learn.

WordPress has given me a community, a purpose, and endless opportunities to learn, grow, and give back.

From measuring pixels with a ruler to leading testing for WordPress 6.7, my journey across 20+ releases and contributions to multiple teams reflects the power of passion, perseverance, and open-source community.

As a volunteer, I have shared with various cultures, learned new skills, and contributed to many with my knowledge.

Over the past year, I transformed from struggling with WordPress contribution processes to actively contributing across multiple teams—especially Gutenberg and Training—and now guide new contributors with confidence and consistency.

Contributor Day is my favorite part of WordCamps — not because it’s perfect, but because it shows what community really looks like in practice.

WordPress contribution means turning everyday development work into a meaningful cycle of learning, sharing, and helping others grow.

It may take time but WordPress has a place for everyone.

As a WordPress contributor and community leader, I’ve realized the real growth happens when we help others discover their power to create and contribute.

As an experienced WordPress contributor, I’ve discovered that the true essence of contribution goes beyond writing code — it’s about continuous learning, collaborating with passionate individuals, solving real-world challenges, and giving back to a community that has been instrumental in shaping my professional growth and perspective.

As a contributor, I have learned the importance of helping and sharing.

As a WordPress Support Engineer, I’ve learned that contributing is more than solving issues, it’s about growing, sharing, and being part of a community that helps each other.

My systems thinking perspective, stemming from having Asperger’s, became my strength in the WordPress community.

My contribution journey showed me how even small actions can blossom into confidence, leadership, and community impact.