{"id":12041,"date":"2026-04-02T07:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T02:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/?p=12041"},"modified":"2026-04-01T22:59:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T17:29:57","slug":"scholarship-recipients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/scholarship-recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship Recipients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since WordCamp Asia’s<\/strong> launch in 2023, it has been guided by three core values: Nurturing, Welcoming, and Experimental<\/strong>. Staying true to this vision, we\u2019re excited to announce the recipients of this year\u2019s scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These scholarships reflect our continued commitment to building a more inclusive, innovative, and connected WordPress community<\/strong>. They are designed to support passionate individuals who want to contribute to the WordPress ecosystem but may face financial or logistical barriers to attending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are truly delighted to welcome this year\u2019s scholarship recipients to WordCamp Asia 2026<\/strong>, and we can\u2019t wait to see the ideas, energy, and perspectives they\u2019ll bring to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim Parsell Scholarship Recipients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Dorcus Nalubega (@sebu4<\/a>) lives in Mukono, Uganda. Since 2022, she has evolved from a community newcomer to an active contributor across several key WordPress initiatives, focusing on making the platform more accessible to local creatives and contributors in Uganda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, she attended a tech-focused WordPress event, WordCamp Jinja, with her husband. The event was this blend of creativity and tech energy that helped calm her initial nerves.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At WordCamp, people discussed everything from web development and WordPress contributions to remote job opportunities in the global WordPress community. She was intrigued by how young people from Uganda, East Africa, and beyond were tapping into global markets, freelancing, and earning well above typical local pay scales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What stood out to her most was the session on \u201cGlobal Opportunities in the WordPress Community,\u201d where panelists shared practical tips on leveraging tech skills to land remote jobs. It was an eye-opening moment to realize that she didn\u2019t need to limit herself to local opportunities. Remote work, especially in tech, could open doors to a much bigger world. She started to see how this could impact her life as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her leadership experience includes serving as a speaker at WordCamp Nairobi 2024, where she shared insights on global opportunities, as well as serving as a dedicated Volunteer for WordCamps in Masaka (2023, 2025) and Mukono (2025) to support logistics and community engagement. Beyond events, she is also a Translation Contributor for the Polyglots team, working to localize WordPress into regional languages so that non-English speaking entrepreneurs can thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diversity Scholarship Recipient<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Rajan Lama (@lamarajan<\/a>) is from Kathmandu, Nepal. He has actively contributed to Theme Review, Themes, Plugins, Core, Polyglots, Patterns, and Speaker & Photos teams. These experiences have allowed him to learn, collaborate, and give back to the global WordPress community.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is also eager to expand his contributions to areas such as WordPress Performance, AI for WordPress, PHP Unit Testing, and other emerging initiatives.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Rajan started working with WordPress during his college days in 2011. At that time, he was searching for a tool that could help him build websites easily, especially blogging platforms. That\u2019s when he discovered WordPress and instantly fell in love with it. He began learning WordPress theme development through tutorials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back then, he had no idea that a WordPress community even existed. About two years later, he first heard about WordPress meetups from the CEO of his company, who was a speaker at WordCamp Nepal 2013. He was extremely excited. He traveled 27 km from his hometown to attend his first WordCamp. It was an unforgettable moment. That was where he first learned about the WordPress organization and the global community behind it. At the event, he was introduced to many important concepts like WordPress SEO, security, performance, themes, plugins, and WordPress-focused design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, he learned about WordPress.org theme submission and theme reviews and became more involved with the WordPress community. Most importantly, he embraced the powerful philosophy: \u201cGive back to the community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same year, he attended WordCamp Nepal again. It was another enriching experience where he continued learning. Since then, he has continuously attended WordCamp events, expanding his knowledge and staying connected with the community. For him, WordCamp feels like a school, a place where he listens, learns, and grows every time. That\u2019s the main reason he keeps attending whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His goal is simple: to keep learning and to keep sharing knowledge with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we move forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we continue building on the vision that shaped WordCamp Asia from the beginning, these scholarships remain an important way to nurture talent, welcome diverse perspectives, and open more doors into the WordPress ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each recipient represents the spirit of the WordPress community. Curious, generous with knowledge, and committed to giving back. Their journeys remind us that WordPress grows stronger when more voices, experiences, and ideas are welcomed into the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are proud to continue this tradition and support the people who are helping shape the future of WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To all the recipients, congratulations. We look forward to welcoming you to Mumbai and seeing the impact you will bring to WordCamp Asia 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since WordCamp Asia’s launch in 2023, it has been guided by three core values: Nurturing, Welcoming, and Experimental. Staying true to this vision, we\u2019re excited to announce the recipients of this year\u2019s scholarships. These scholarships reflect our continued commitment to building a more inclusive, innovative, and connected WordPress community. They are designed to support passionate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7772755,"featured_media":12595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[112],"class_list":["post-12041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","tag-scholarships"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-SCHOLARSHIP-RECIPIENT-1200x628-WordPress-Featured-Image.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13538,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/announcing-zeel-thakkar-memorial-scholarship-recipients\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":0},"title":"Announcing Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship Recipients","author":"Aditya Kane","date":"April 08, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month, we announced the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship to honor Zeel's memory and her contributions to the WordPress community. The response blew us away. We received over 80 applications from women across India and Nepal. Meet Our Ten Scholarship Recipients After careful review, we selected ten women from across\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/04\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-Recipient-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-637.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10337,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/zeel-thakkar-memorial-scholarship\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":1},"title":"Introducing the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship","author":"Aditya Kane","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Losing Zeel was a big setback to the entire organising team, and to honor her memory, we are launching the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship.","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Zeel-Thakkar-Memorial-Scholarship-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-631.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6685,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/apply-for-scholarships-to-attend-wordcamp-asia-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":2},"title":"Apply for Scholarships to Attend WordCamp Asia 2026","author":"Meher Bala","date":"January 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We're teaming up with The WordPress Foundation and WordCamp Central. Together, we're offering two scholarships for WordCamp Asia 2026. This continues our efforts from past years. Two people will get the chance to attend Asia's flagship WordCamp in Mumbai. WordCamp Asia 2023 Diversity Scholarship WordCamp Asia 2024 Diversity Scholarship WordCamp\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"WordCamp Asia 2026 Scholarships Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/01\/wca-scholarships.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4395,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/in-loving-memory-of-zeel-thakkar\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":3},"title":"In Loving Memory of Zeel Thakkar","author":"Aditya Kane","date":"November 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the devastating news of the passing of Zeel Thakkar, a beloved member of the WordPress community and organiser of WordCamp Asia 2026. Zeel, who is from Ahmedabad, was attending WordCamp Surat on November 16, and was rushed to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/In-Loving-Memory_Zeel-Thakkar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/In-Loving-Memory_Zeel-Thakkar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/In-Loving-Memory_Zeel-Thakkar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/In-Loving-Memory_Zeel-Thakkar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/11\/In-Loving-Memory_Zeel-Thakkar.png?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1326,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/media-partner-applications-now-open\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":4},"title":"Media Partner Applications for WordCamp Asia 2026 Are Now Open","author":"Sunita Rai","date":"October 02, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re excited to open applications for Media Partners at WordCamp Asia 2026 in Mumbai, April 9\u201311! Gain exclusive access to speakers, behind-the-scenes content, and networking opportunities while helping share the story of WordPress, the world\u2019s leading open-source platform. Contribute as a Media Partner and naturally showcase your platform to a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Calls"","block_context":{"text":"Calls","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/calls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Call for Media Partners Opens","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/10\/call-for-media-partners.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/10\/call-for-media-partners.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/10\/call-for-media-partners.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/10\/call-for-media-partners.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2025\/10\/call-for-media-partners.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9867,"url":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/meet-wapuulika-the-official-mascot-of-wcasia26\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":5},"title":"Meet Wapuulika: The Official Mascot of WordCamp Asia 2026","author":"Arundhati","date":"March 04, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Every WordCamp has a heartbeat. For WordCamp Asia 2026, that heartbeat has a name: Wapuulika. Draped in a vibrant sari with golden borders, jasmine in her hair, and confidence in her stride, Wapuulika represents the modern Indian woman shaping the future of the web. Laptop in one hand, a vada\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mumbai - India"","block_context":{"text":"Mumbai - India","link":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/category\/mumbai-india\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/03\/WCA26-Official-Wapuu-WCA26-WordPress-Featured-Img-1200-x-633.webp?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnY82-38d","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7772755"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12041"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12602,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041\/revisions\/12602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asia.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}