\u201cWhat Am I Doing Here?\u201d is a question I\u2019ve often been asked\u2014 and honestly, it\u2019s a fair one. After all, WordPress is primarily a tech space, and I\u2019m a lawyer with no formal tech background. My presence here may seem abrupt, but the real answer lies in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been part of the WordPress ecosystem since 2015, first as a blogger and later as a contributor. My journey has been about bridging the gap between law and tech, two varied but intertwined worlds. I\u2019ve had the privilege of being part of both, and I want to use that position to create access for others who don\u2019t quite \u201cfit the mold\u201d either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this talk, I\u2019ll share how people from non-technical backgrounds can meaningfully grow within the WordPress community. I\u2019ll reflect on my experience with the Bhopal WordPress chapter\u2014 the only active one in Madhya Pradesh\u2014 and highlight our recent initiative: EmpowerWP Bhopal, a WordPress Women\u2019s Day event designed to welcome those often left out. The idea is not just to promote growth within the community but grow as a society. It’ll also be about how intentions matter. We intentionally reached out to homemakers, women on career breaks, small business owners, and professionals from adjacent fields\u2014demonstrating that there\u2019s space for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll also talk about how community support systems\u2014like scholarships, sponsorships, and care funds\u2014can open doors and build belonging. I\u2019ve been a recipient of such support, and I\u2019m committed to paying it forward and helping others find those same pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This talk is about community bridging, not just community building. It\u2019s about seeing accessibility as more than a plugin or guideline\u2014it\u2019s a mindset and a commitment to welcome people who may have never imagined themselves here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because if I can be here, so can you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhat Am I Doing Here?\u201d is a question I\u2019ve often been asked\u2014 and honestly, it\u2019s a fair one. After all, WordPress is primarily a tech space, and I\u2019m a lawyer with no formal tech background. My presence here may seem abrupt, but the real answer lies in the community. I\u2019ve been part of the WordPress […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20967781,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_wcpt_session_time":1749876000,"_wcpt_session_duration":1800,"_wcpt_session_type":"session","_wcpt_session_slides":"","_wcpt_session_video":"","_wcpt_speaker_id":[2045],"footnotes":""},"session_track":[73],"session_category":[71],"class_list":["post-2047","wcb_session","type-wcb_session","status-publish","hentry","wcb_track-hall-2","wcb_session_category-long-talk"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"session_date_time":{"date":"June 14, 2025","time":"10:25 am"},"session_speakers":[{"id":"2045","slug":"astha-jain","name":"Astha Jain","link":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/speaker\/astha-jain\/"}],"session_cats_rendered":"Long Talk","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions\/2047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wcb_session"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions\/2047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2048,"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sessions\/2047\/revisions\/2048"}],"speakers":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/speakers\/2045"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/beingastha"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wcb_track","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/session_track?post=2047"},{"taxonomy":"wcb_session_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokhara.wordcamp.org\/2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/session_category?post=2047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}