From a Room Monitor to the PSF Board Election: Reflecting on the Journey

In 2019, I walked into PyConf Hyderabad as a room monitor.

I wasn't thinking about leadership. I wasn't thinking about the Python Software Foundation Board. I certainly wasn't imagining that, a few years later, I would be one of the candidates in a PSF Board of Directors election.

I was simply looking for an opportunity to volunteer and contribute.

Seven years later, I found myself participating in the 2026 PSF Board election.

For me, that experience is something worth pausing and reflecting on. Not because of the election result, and not to make a case for my candidacy, but because of the journey that brought me here and what I experienced along the way.

From volunteering to putting my name forward

That first opportunity in Hyderabad became the starting point for much more than I could have imagined at the time.

HydPy became an important part of that journey. It was where I had the opportunity to volunteer, work alongside other community members, take on responsibilities, make mistakes, learn, and gradually understand what it takes to keep a community going.

Over the years, the journey expanded beyond Hyderabad. I had opportunities to contribute to conferences and communities in India and internationally, meet people with very different experiences, and take on responsibilities I hadn't imagined when I first started.

There was never a plan that all of this would eventually lead to a PSF Board election.

When the opportunity came to put my name forward in 2026, I thought about it seriously.

Standing for the Board felt different from the other community roles I had taken on. It meant putting my experiences, thoughts, and ideas in front of a much wider community and being open to questions about them.

Eventually, I decided to give it a try.

It was my first time standing for the PSF Board, and I went into it knowing that, whatever the result, there would be something to learn from the experience.

Experiencing the candidacy

The candidacy gave me opportunities to reflect in ways I hadn't expected.

Writing my nomination statement made me look back at the years I had spent contributing and ask myself what I had actually learned from those experiences.

The PSF candidate interview made me think more carefully about some of those ideas.

And through the AMA, community members could ask me questions about my candidacy, including things I hadn't covered elsewhere.

I enjoyed that part of the process.

Some questions made me think. Some conversations introduced perspectives different from my own. And sometimes I realized that an answer wasn't as simple as I initially thought.

That was valuable.

The Python community is large and global. People contribute from very different countries, cultures, communities, circumstances, and experiences.

My own perspective comes largely from the communities I have worked with in Hyderabad, India, and the wider Asia-Pacific region. Those experiences have shaped how I think about volunteers, community sustainability, inclusion, leadership, and creating opportunities for new people.

But they are still my experiences.

Being part of the election reminded me that participating in a global community is not only about sharing what you know. It is also about understanding what you don't know and being willing to listen.

That is something I want to continue getting better at.

One thing the experience reinforced for me

There is one thought I kept coming back to throughout this experience.

Healthy communities create opportunities for new people to take ownership.

I experienced that myself through HydPy.

HydPy gave me the opportunity to volunteer, learn, take on responsibilities, and grow within the community.

Today, one of the things I enjoy most is seeing newer volunteers step forward with their own ideas, take ownership, and gradually become the people shaping the community.

Having experienced that opportunity myself, I understand how much it can matter. I hope I can continue creating similar opportunities for others.

The result

The results of the 2026 PSF Board election are now out, and I was not elected to the Board this time.

Of course, I would have been happy to be elected.

But this was also my first time standing for the PSF Board, and I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to come this far and be part of the process.

What meant the most to me was the support I received along the way.

People took the time to read my nomination, ask questions, have conversations with me, share their perspectives, and place their trust in me through their votes.

I don't take any of that for granted.

And I didn't get here alone.

There are organizers who trusted me before I had much experience. Volunteers who worked alongside me. Mentors who shared what they had learned. Communities that welcomed me. Friends who encouraged me. And many people across the Python community who gave me opportunities to contribute.

I am grateful to all of them.

Not being elected doesn't take anything away from the experience for me.

I tried something I had never done before. I learned from it. I met and spoke with people across the community. I heard different perspectives. And I came away knowing there is still plenty for me to learn.

That's a good place to be.

The journey continues

The election is over, but my journey with the Python community continues.

I was contributing before this election, and I will continue contributing after it. There is still a lot for me to learn, and I am looking forward to the conversations, experiences, and contributions ahead.

This was my first PSF Board election. I wasn't elected this time, but I am grateful for the experience, grateful for the support I received, and glad I decided to give it a try.

The result is one part of the journey. The learning and contribution continue.

Until next time!