Hi All,
After almost 5 years at WMF, I’ve decided to move on from the Foundation.
My last day will be June 4th.
These last few years have been an unexpected journey. When Anasuya Senguta
and Jessie Wild recruited me in 2014, I didn't know what awaited me. I
didn't know that I could learn so much about epistemology, power,
resilience, and community in such a short period of time. I couldn't know
how indelibly I would change - in my perspectives, my approaches, and my
beliefs.
But I have learned *so much*. From the countless conversations I've had and
observed. From working with hundreds of staff and volunteers to understand
different community needs
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Capacity_Development>[1], build new
tools <https://eventmetrics.wmflabs.org/>[2], reflect
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Strategy/Wikimedia_Foundation_grantmaking_review/Intro>[3]
on
current programs, understand the breadth and depth of our gaps
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gender_equity_report_2018>[4], understand
our longer-term impact <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Impact>[5],
and find the path forward.
And because we are Wikimedia, it's unsurprising that I leave having learned
the limits of my own knowledge, the power of collective discourse
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensemaking>[6], and the weight of my own
power and privilege in seeing systemic, cultural change happen.
This journey honestly wasn’t an easy ride. I laughed and cried, triumphed
and despaired, argued and made up; I felt supported and isolated, powerful
and powerless. I saw the tremendous beauty that Wikimedia creates and the
long road still to come.
But despite the rough ride, when I think back on my time here I will always
treasure the kaleidoscope of small moments that brought me joy: grammar
advice from Asaf, introducing Felix to Korean food, learning that many of
you are artists or musicians or poets, learning wikitext (yes, I actually
enjoyed that), dancing until my feet hurt, learning to love karaoke,
impromptu lunches and dinners, and many *many* walks and virtual coffee
chats.
So thank you all for sharing your wisdom, humor, and time with me. Thank
you Wikimedia for being a place that I could grow and learn. I will still
be around on the interwebs (and in San Francisco if you ever are in town),
and look forward to watching how you grow.
For now, I leave you with this quote:
"In a complex, technological world, most of us are experts at something.
More importantly, being a true expert means having a healthy dose of
humility. If you have really studied something and really gone deep into
how it works, then you should come away knowing how much you don't know. *In
a sense, that is the real definition of an expert — knowing the limits of
one's own knowledge.*" - Adam Frank, National Public Radio [7]
With much love,
Sati
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Capacity_Development
[2]
https://eventmetrics.wmflabs.org/
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Strategy/Wikimedia_Foundation_grantm…
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gender_equity_report_2018
[5]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Impact
[6]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensemaking
[7]
https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/04/07/522992390/why-expertise-matters
--
Sati Houston
Senior Strategist, Grants
Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>