Mentorship Summit - Panel Discussion
08-08, 16:00–16:55 (US/Eastern), Red Hat (Main 1)

During the 2023 flock, our mentorship summit proved highly successful. We hosted a 1.5-hour "Panel Discussion" involving both mentors and mentees. The objective was clear: to nurture a culture of mentorship and align with the Fedora Project council's strategy of ensuring everyone has a mentor and is a mentor themselves.

Once again, for this upcoming mentorship summit, I propose a "Panel Discussion." Such discussions offer an excellent platform to delve into various mentorship-related topics.

Here are some suggested discussion points:
The Importance of Mentorship: Highlighting why mentorship is vital for all members of the community and its potential impact on Fedora or any open-source community.
Effective Mentorship Strategies: Exploring different approaches for establishing fruitful mentor-mentee relationships, including matching, goal-setting, and regular communication.
Mentoring through different mediums: Examining how technology has influenced mentorship programs, including virtual mentoring and online resources, along with their advantages and challenges.
Diversity and Inclusion in Mentorship: Emphasizing the significance of diversity and inclusion in mentorship and strategies for promoting them within programs.
Mentorship Goals: Discussing the expected outcomes of mentorship, such as aiding mentees in community understanding, network-building, and skill development.
Mentorship Metrics and Evaluation: Exploring methods for measuring the effectiveness of mentorship programs and assessing their impact.
Mentorship Beyond the Community: Considering opportunities for mentorship outside the Fedora community and the benefits of extending mentorship initiatives.
Overcoming Challenges in Mentorship: Addressing common obstacles in mentorship relationships and proposing strategies to overcome them.
Encouraging Participation in Mentorship: Discussing ways in which existing mentors and mentees can inspire other community members to engage in mentorship programs.

See also: View recording on YouTube

Amita Sharma is an accomplished engineering manager at Red Hat, with an impressive 17-year career, including 11 years contributing to the dynamic projects at Red Hat. In her current role, she oversees the management of crucial components in RHOAI (Red Hat OpenShift Artificial Intelligence), focusing on Distributed Workloads and Data Science Pipeline, leading a global team of engineers.
Additionally, Amita takes on the responsibility of the DevOps RHOAI team, ensuring the smooth release of RHOAI. Her leadership reflects a strong commitment to excellence and efficiency.
Beyond her managerial role, Amita is a dedicated contributor to the open-source community. Since 2011, she has made a significant impact on the Fedora Project (https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Amsharma), playing a key role in the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Team and serving as the Fedora Diversity Advisor. Amita has represented Fedora at global events such as Flock, FOSSASIA, FOSDEM, DevConf CZ, OSCAL, showcasing her passion for diversity, inclusion, and open-source culture. Amita Sharma is making a lasting impact in her multifaceted contributions to the tech world.

This speaker also appears in:

I started using Fedora in 2014 after attending OSCAL, later becoming a Fedora Project contributor and the first Fedora Ambassador from Albania. Since then, I have been involved in various teams within Fedora, primarily focusing on DEI and mentorship.

Currently, I am part of the Fedora Council as the DEI advisor.

This speaker also appears in:

Hey, I'm Smera – a designer with a flair for creating intuitive and stunning designs. Originally from New Delhi, I've made my way to Berlin to immerse myself in the thriving design scene. When I'm not busy pushing pixels, you can find me exploring the city's vibrant culinary scene or whipping up my next art masterpiece.

As a designer, I'm passionate about using design to solve complex problems and make people's lives easier. Whether it's creating a more accessible web experience for seniors, designing a personalized period tracking app, or developing a comprehensive design system for a company, I love diving into new challenges and finding creative solutions.

When I'm not working on design projects, I'm actively involved in open source contributions through organizations like The Fedora Project, and I'm always looking for ways to give back to the community.

And when I'm not working or indulging in my creative hobbies, you can bet I'm playing video games. I love everything from RPGs to puzzle games, and I'm always down for a good co-op session.

This speaker also appears in:

Fernando is a Software Engineer from Sevilla, Spain. He is mainly focused on Networking and system engineering. He is member of the SUGUS GNU/Linux free software group. He has contributed to multiple free software projects like Tor, Netfilter subsystem and Linux kernel. In addition, he is co-maintaining nmstate and actively contributing to NetworkManager, Ansible Linux Network System Role and Nispor.

In addition, he is currently part of the Fedora Council as Co-lead of the Mentored Projects initiative.

This speaker also appears in:
This speaker also appears in:

I am Rene Kuhn, a 27-year-old self-taught developer currently working at Terramate, where we work on open-core developer tooling. My journey in technology began through a passion for Linux, which now extends to teaching Linux workshops in my spare time, predominantly using Fedora.

This speaker also appears in: