Celebrating Technology Leaders (Episode 17)

In the 17th episode of the Celebrating Technology Leaders series, ACM-W brought together four remarkable women to discuss their journeys into open source. The episode highlighted the personal motivations, career pivots, and community support that fuel inclusive innovation.

Moderated by Adriana Wilde, ACM-W Communications Co-chair, the session featured a carefully selected panel by Bushra Anjum and Taylor Yang. These included: Eriol Fox (Open Source Designer at Superbloom.design), Rizel Scarlet (Tech Lead Open Source DevRel at Block), Mary Grygleski (Director of Emerging Technologies at Calibrity) and Carlisia Campos (Open Source Software Engineer). Each speaker followed a different path into Open Source: some from traditional computer science, others from design, advocacy, or broader life experiences. What united them was a shared passion for building in the open and a belief in community-driven collaboration.

Diverse Paths, Shared Purpose

Our panellists shared the diverse ways into open source that each of them followed. Rizel described her switch from psychology to coding via a bootcamp and defined her discovery of open source at GitHub as life-changing. Carlisia, a back-end engineer and Go enthusiast, shared how co-founding a nonprofit helped others (and herself) learn this exciting new programming language. Eriol brought a design lens, revealing how her early work with a Kenyan open-source civic tech organisation sparked a career fusing human rights with open collaboration. Mary reflected on a long career in software engineering and advocacy, emphasising the joy of sharing knowledge and growing community networks. Each story reflected a central truth: open source thrives on inclusion, and contributions come in many forms: documentation, mentoring, community building, design, and, of course, code.

Mentorship, Community and Impact

A recurring theme was the importance of mentorship and peer support. From managers who nudged first contributions to communities that welcomed questions without judgment, panellists underscored the need for safe spaces, especially for women and non-binary technologists navigating historically exclusionary domains. The conversation brought to light how curiosity, creativity, and passion are foundational to achieving success in the field. The possibilities for making a significant impact are endless!

“When you work in open source, the people who are going to use it could be anybody over the world. You can have such a wide impact. ” — Carlisia Campos

Facing Challenges, Building Futures

The panel didn’t shy away from difficult conversations. They acknowledged that open source still reflects broader inequities in tech, particularly in representation and leadership. But they also offered strategies: seek inclusive projects, foster mentorship, be intentional in creating opportunities, and challenge assumptions about who belongs.

“We don’t need to get over imposter syndrome—we need to work with it.” — Rizel Scarlet

Who Belongs in Open Source? Everyone.

“Everyone has value that they can bring to open source even if it is the contribution of using open source” — Eriol Fox

When asked who should consider contributing, the panel’s answer was unanimous: everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, technical or not, there is a place for you. Contribution doesn’t require perfection—just curiosity, kindness, and a willingness to learn. Even using open source and offering feedback is a contribution.

Both beginners and people already in open source just continue to embrace learning in public, so […] put yourself out there even if it’s something small that like just put out what you’ve learned. — Rizel Scarlet

Get Involved

The message from Episode 17 was clear: open source isn’t just about code—it’s about people. When people of all backgrounds collaborate, we create better tools and communities for everyone.

“Everybody has a voice in it [open source]. If you don’t like something you can change it, request a change, or talk about it. “— Mary Grygleski

So what are you waiting for? Get involved!

• Do you use a tool you love? Help improve it by writing documentation, filing issues, or spreading the word.
• Are you a designer? Explore the Open Source Design community.
• New to tech? Join a user group or contribute feedback. You’re part of the community too.