EuroPython Society 2023 Q3 Fellows

Vaibhav Srivastav -

Hi everyone! A warm welcome to the newly elected EuroPython Society Fellows in the third quarter of 2023.

  • Nicolás Demarchi
  • Raquel Dou
  • Sebastiaan Zeeff
  • Silvia Uberti
  • Theofanis Petkos

EuroPython Society Fellows

EuroPython Society Fellows have contributed significantly towards our mission, the EuroPython conference and the Society as an organisation. They are eligible for a lifetime free attendance of the EuroPython conference and will be listed on our EuroPython Society Fellow Grant page in recognition of their work.‌

Nicolás has served on the board from 2021-2023, and he also served as a Vice Chair for the year 2022-2023. He not only transformed the way we run Operations for the EuroPython conference now but also helped shape the way our remote conferences were held in the years 2020 and 2021.

Raquel has served on the board from 2019-2023, and she served as the Chair from 2021-2023. There are plenty of things to be said about her contributions to the Python community; Nicolas Tollervey put them best in his email, nominating her for the EuroPython Society fellowship.

It's hard to find brief words to describe Raquel's contribution to our community (there's such a lot to write about). I also know that, as a board, you're all familiar with her extraordinary efforts, formidable leadership skills and compassionate ways of working, each of which individually would warrant a nomination. Furthermore, to say Raquel's chairing of EuroPython has been a revelation is an understatement. Thanks to her focus and guidance, EuroPython is more diverse, open minded and big hearted than ever (and it's important to acknowledge that we have so much more to do in this respect). Much of this progress is because Raquel understands that such conferences are not merely about technical talks, seminars or even just Python. Her depth and breadth in appreciating what "Python" or "programming" means, to the largest and most inclusive extent, means our conference is *only just starting* to take the first tentative steps towards a more balanced, expressive and (dare I say it) INTERESTING exploration of what "Python programming" means. This is Raquel's unique gift to our community. Fundamental to this gift is her refocus on the community first ethos of EuroPython. Fundamental to this gift is her appreciation of artistic, creative and expressive uses of Python, in addition to the inevitable technical aspects of coding. Fundamental to this is her enlarged and sophisticated appreciation that EuroPython isn't just blindly promoting the latest "cool thing", the usual "industry practices", or the tired "let me explain this framework" didactic telling of things while pointing at slides. There's a much larger, compassionate, thoughtful, colourful, diverse and broad-minded way to encounter a coding community, and Raquel leads us in such a direction. This is why I (personally) want to nominate Raquel, while encouraging the board to continue to make more progress towards Raquel's vision in this respect. To do otherwise would diminish our community and undo so much of the work that has been led and organised by Raquel.

Sebastiaan has volunteered with the EPS from 2021-2023 and is currently serving as a board member for 2023-2024. For the past two years, he has led our Financial Aid initiatives. Last year, he also helped shape our Code of Conduct policy and continues to be a member of the Code of Conduct committee.

Silvia has served on the board from 2020-2023. She helped the EPS immensely by managing a gazillion sponsors year after year. She also took charge of leading the grants WG and served on the Code of Conduct committee during her time as well. She constantly pushed for Diversity and Inclusion initiatives time over time.

Theofanis has volunteered with the EPS from 2021-2023 and is currently serving as a board member for 2023-2024. As a volunteer, he helped shape the Mentorship and volunteer programme and managed our helpdesk. Most importantly, he created a warm and friendly environment that our volunteers/ members feel comfortable contributing to.

The EuroPython Society Board would like to congratulate and thank all the above new Fellows for their tireless work towards our mission! If you want to send in your nomination, check out our Fellowship page and get in touch!

Many thanks,
EuroPython Society
https://www.europython-society.org/