Sharon Norah receives the Yoast Care fund for her contribution to the WordPress community

Meet Sharon Norah, a valued member of the WordPress Community Team! Her commitment and valuable contributions to the community are why Moses Ssebuwufu nominated her for the Yoast Care fund. Let’s learn more about this passionate WordPress enthusiast.

Nominator Harcy Moses Ssebuwufu: “Sharon Norah is among the women in tech who share their knowledge and skills with the WordPress Community in Uganda. She is currently one of the leads of the Kampala WordPress Meetup chapter, and an organizer of the upcoming Kampala Online Payments and Delivery Summit 2024, a WordPress Next Gen event. Her speaking engagements at various WordCamps and WordPress events, including WordCamp Kampala 2023, WordCamp Entebbe 2023, WordCamp Masaka 2023 and the WordPress in Education Showcase 2024, have been instrumental in inspiring girls to pursue careers in tech and actively contribute to the WordPress community.”

Let’s get to know Sharon Norah

That’s quite an introduction, Moses! We would love to get to know Sharon even better. That’s why we asked her some questions about her work and her passion for WordPress:

Hi, Sharon Norah! Why did you start contributing? Could you share your first contribution with us?

The members of the WordPress Uganda Community motivated me. In 2019, I went to my first WordCamp and became a part of the community. The people in the community have taught me a lot and enabled me to contribute significantly. Delivering a speech at WordCamp Jinja was my first contribution.

Why do you think that you got nominated?

My active participation in the community. After WordCamp Kampala 2019, I continued engaging with the community members and learning more, which inspired me to teach others. I have spoken at four WordCamps and other WordPress meetups. Additionally, I have organized WordCamps and Next Gen WordPress Events.

What contribution or moment are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the moment my WordPress mentor, Laurence Bahiirwa, handed me the role of leading the WordPress Kampala Meetup Group. We have three co-leads, including Joan Logose and Faith Imokol. Laurence has mentored all three of us, and we’re proud to be the current leads with a robust support system from other community leaders.

Who is your WordPress hero?

Laurence Bahiirwa offered me a job when I did not know how to use WordPress. He taught me WordPress and paid me to work for him. It’s how my WordPress journey started. My sister, Faith Imokol, a plugin developer, is another hero. She invited me to my first WordCamp and later introduced me to Laurence, who offered me the opportunity.

What would you love to do in the future?

To teach and mentor more kids in tech. I am the co-founder of Erani Tech, and my dream is to reach as many kids as possible, especially in Africa. In addition, I will continue contributing to WordPress. I am currently exploring other ways of contributing to WordPress besides Community roles.

Thank you for this interview, Sharon, and for all of your contributions to the WordPress community! Do you know someone like Sharon Norah who also deserves to be in the spotlight? Go to our Yoast Care page and nominate them right away.