The WordPress community recently announced the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship, created to support women from India and Nepal who want to attend the major WordPress event in their area: WordCamp Asia.
The scholarship honors the memory of Zeel Thakkar, a WordPress contributor who passed away last year at a young age. Zeel contributed across several major WordPress releases, participated in local and regional events, and was known in the community for her enthusiasm, kindness, and commitment to open source.
I had the opportunity to cross paths with Zeel during work on past WordPress release squads. I remember seeing her contributing during release parties that I was coordinating for WordPress 6.7 and 6.8. Moments like those are where many contributors first find their rhythm in the project. Hopefully the props she received during those efforts helped encourage her continued interest in contributing to WordPress. Her participation and growth as a contributor are a good reminder of how welcoming entry points into the project can help nurture the next generation of community leaders.
Programs like the Zeel Thakkar Memorial Scholarship matter not just because they honor a valued contributor, but because they strengthen the future of the project itself.
Many long-time WordPress contributors can trace their deeper involvement back to attending a WordCamp. Meeting other contributors in person, participating in Contributor Day, and seeing how the project operates behind the scenes often becomes the moment when someone moves from casual user to active contributor. Those contributors go on to help lead release squads, maintain components, organize local communities, and guide the direction of the WordPress project.
Travel and conference costs can be a real barrier for contributors, especially in regions where the WordPress community is growing quickly but resources are limited. Scholarships like this help remove those barriers and open the door for new contributors to participate in the global WordPress community.
In that way, this effort isn’t only about remembering Zeel. It’s also about making sure more people have the same opportunity to step into the community, build relationships, and find their place contributing to WordPress.
I’ve made a donation today and hope that you consider doing so as well.
If you’re able, please consider contributing to the scholarship fund. Contributions of any size help expand the opportunity for future contributors to attend events like WordCamp Asia, connect with the community, and continue the work Zeel cared deeply about.
Open source communities thrive because people show up for one another. Supporting initiatives like this is one small way we can honor Zeel’s memory while helping the next generation of contributors find their way into the project.
Featured Image is a CC0 licensed photo by zeelthakkar from the WordPress Photo Directory.
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