Nichole,
It's been great to see your work over the years, both from when we were working closely together and while I've gotten to see your team's work in bringing the global education community together. Hope to see you around, and thanks for all you've done!
Jami
On Fri, Mar 31, 2023 at 10:01 AM LiAnna Davis lianna@wikiedu.org wrote:
Nichole,
I remember meeting you for the first time shortly after you joined the Foundation and being very impressed by your dedication to and experience in education all over the globe. From every conversation we've had since then, your love of teaching and learning and your belief in the principle that education is a human right has shined through. I appreciate all your hard work over the years connecting Wikimedia projects to education.
Thank you for all you've done for the movement, and best wishes on your future endeavors! Hope to see you continuing to edit on the projects as a volunteer. :)
LiAnna
On Fri, Mar 31, 2023, 9:13 AM Nichole Saad nsaad@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear EduWiki friends,
I want to let you know that today, March 31st, will be my last day at the Wikimedia Foundation.
Over the last 6.5 years, I have been really privileged to see you all
grow
as leaders, and I'm so proud to have contributed in any small way to your ability to build bridges between the education sector and the Wikimedia Movement.
I want to stay this: I started working as an educator in 2006, and have held about every type of role you can in the education sector. I spent a lot of time observing what not to do. I’ve seen kids go through years of schooling and still not be able to read or write. I have seen kids and teachers lost in the “system”. I’ve seen teachers struggling with classrooms of 60+ students with few resources, without even a desk in the school (they kept their teaching materials in their car, can you
imagine?).
I worked in a school once in a conflict zone, where we never knew if the school would be there the next day. So, I hope you will trust me when I
say
that the Education Team has done our best to support equitable quality education by helping you--our EduWiki community-- promote Wikipedia &
free
knowledge, and I know that together we’ve made a difference.
Your contributions as volunteers, affiliate staff, and allies has been incredibly inspirational to me, and I will miss engaging with you on a regular basis though I hope to still be in touch. I look forward to continuing to see your work flourish. Please keep sharing what you do in the newsletter, on diff, on LinkedIn, anywhere you get the chance,
because
we’re better when we learn from each other and support one another.
On that note, I want to give a special shout-out to the Newsletter volunteer team, because they have been working hard behind the scenes to publish on time every month. They are so well coordinated, that they are almost invisible, but they are there for you--collecting your stories, helping you edit, and sharing EduWiki news for all to enjoy. <3
There are so many around the community that I need to acknowledge and
thank
that this message would be infinite if I did it all here. Many of you
have
become dear friends, and it has meant so much to me to share moments whether in virtual calls or at Wikimedia movement events or just to meet
up
if we were in the same area. Thank you for helping me learn and grow in
my
Wiki journey.
I also want to say that Sailesh, Melissa, and Vasanthi are the best team anyone could ask for, and I have been exceptionally privileged to work alongside them and learn from them. I hope you will join me in praising
and
highlighting a few of their accomplishments including Melissa’s work with Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom that has supported rising leaders in
the
EduWiki community to reach thousands of teachers around the world. The community organizing program led by Sailesh that has championed equity
and
inclusion, and made space for new leaders to grow and contribute to Wikimedia in education. Finally, the often background work of Vasanthi
who
has built participatory evaluation methods and tools that have allowed us to always be learning, iterating, and improving. The Education Team is still here for you, and you can reach out to them at education@wikimedia.org .
Do stay in touch.
All the best,
Nichole
-- *Nichole Saad* Wikimedia Foundation | Senior Manager for Education nsaad@wikimedia.org user: NSaad (WMF) _______________________________________________ Education mailing list -- education@lists.wikimedia.org To unsubscribe send an email to education-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
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