I Love Giving Back To The WordPress Community

Hauwa Abashiya

Today we are going to conduct an interview of Hauwa Abashiya from the United Kingdom. In this interview, she mentioned that she was a Freelance Project Manager just before discovering WordPress. She also mentioned that she has attended WordCamp in 2018, and 2019.

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My name is Hauwa Abashiya and before I discovered WordPress, I was a freelance project manager. I have always enjoyed working in tech since I completed my A-levels (that tells you just how old I am :-)).

For over 15 years, I have implemented operational and transformational solutions for both private and public sector organizations spanning technologies such as ERP, CRM, Procurement, Supply Chain, Human Capital, Healthcare, and EDMS. No matter how many times I say “never again”, I always find myself being drawn to complex and challenging projects.

Q. How did you get to know about WordPress? Share if there is an interesting story.

Ans: I discovered WordPress in 2018 whilst I was considering a career change. I attended my first WordCamp in Brighton in 2018, met the community, and was hooked. This led me to the London WordPress community and I became the WordCamp London Sponsors Lead in 2019.

At WordCamp Europe 2019, I signed up to be part of the Make WordPress Training team. I love giving back to the WordPress community and so when a tweet went out in 2020 asking for release squad volunteers, I could not resist.

I signed up to be a member of the WordPress 5.6 Release Squad. Shortly after that, I was approached by Big Orange Heart to volunteer as the Sponsor Lead for WordFest 2021.

I am now one of the team reps for the Make WordPress Training team and am in the process of transferring my project management skills to web development.

Q. What’s the most interesting project you have done to date in WordPress? What were your responsibilities?

Ans: The most interesting project I have worked on to date must be the Learn WordPress project.

I joined the Training team back in 2019 and after the soft launch of Learn WordPress, more contributors were needed to prepare for the hard launch. One of the things I love about WordPress is the community, when called they answer and help wherever they are needed.

I was not involved in the soft launch but I answered the call along with some wonderful people across the different Make WordPress teams to get Learn WordPress ready for the hard launch. It was during this period that I took on the responsibility of being one of the team representatives.

Q. Have you ever been to any WordPress meetups or WordCamps? Share your thoughts on WordPress Community.

Ans: Yes, I love attending meetups and WordCamps and I cannot wait for the time when we can see each other face-to-face. It is a great opportunity to not only learn but to make friends as well.

Q. How does your workstation look like? Can you send us a picture?

Ans: Space has been limited since we are all working from home and a lot of comprises had to be made. As a result, my laptop and monitor are set up in a small corner of my room and allow me to sit or stand easily.

Q. What interesting feature do you think you would like to see in WordPress that is currently missing?

Ans: I would love the ability to define my folders for media management. I am not a fan of the year, month, date method.

I would like the ability to be able to find out how I want to manage and categorize media components in my media library. I guess I want more control of this element rather than WordPress defining it for me.

Q. Out of the current plugins and themes which one do you like the most and why?

Ans: I am currently experimenting with WooCommerce so at the moment this is the plugin that I like.

You can use it with little to no budget, building on it over time to facilitate an income or start a new business. Anything that helps people make money to feed themselves and their families is a win-win for me.

Q. Any awesome technology you want to share other than WordPress?

Ans: Yes, the BrightSign Glove. https://www.brightsignglove.com/

Q. Do you like/love what you currently do in WordPress?

Ans: I love contributing to WordPress, I would love to clone myself so I could rotate who works, who plays, and who volunteers for the numerous projects I love.

Q. Where do you find yourself after 5 years

Ans: In 5 years, I hope to find myself spending more time with family and mentoring or encouraging the youth to be more involved in WordPress.

Q. Share something about your life other than work

Ans: My first love is food, quickly followed by tech and fabric. I love cooking as much as I love eating it. I get very grumpy when I have not eaten and anyone who has worked with me knows that if they schedule a face-to-face meeting before I’ve had breakfast or lunch, they will not get anything out of me. As a result, I have had clients offer me a working breakfast or lunch.

Q. To whom do you give credit for your success?

Ans: God, my parents, brothers, family and friends. They tell me what I need to hear when I need to hear it and taught me to believe that I can do anything even if I am afraid of failure.

Q. Can you give us some references for whom we should conduct an interview next and why?

Ans: Courtney Engle Robertson, is a great educator and an amazing woman. She has done a lot for Learn WordPress.

Q. How do you reward yourself?

Ans: I reward myself with the things I love, food, fabric, or a gadget.

Q. Any suggestions for WordPress beginners?

Ans: It is amazing what you can learn when you join a Meetup or WordCamp. You build friendships and connections that can help you on your journey with WordPress.

You do not need to be an expert or a developer to contribute to WordPress. Join one of the Make teams, you can even try them all to see which one you like. Everyone is welcoming.