Name: Contributor Catalyst: New Contributor Perspectives From an HBCU Mentorship Program - Emily Lovell, UC Santa Cruz OSPO & Silas Morgan, Norfolk State University
Start: 2025-06-25T14:10:00-0600
End: 2025-06-25T14:50:00-0600

June 23 - 25, 2025
Denver, Colorado
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Note: The schedule is subject to change.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Timing of sessions and room locations are subject to change.

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:10pm - 2:50pm MDT

Bluebird Ballroom 3H

Open source is woven into nearly all modern technology, making it more important than ever to support new contributors – but entering the world of open source contribution can be a daunting experience. There are unspoken norms to understand, new tools and best practices to learn, and a whole lot of code to navigate.

In 2023, the UC Santa Cruz OSPO launched a summer mentorship program to support students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) contributing to open source. Over the course of eight weeks, each tight-knit cohort learns how to productively contribute to a project of their choosing, while working together both in-person and remotely. Program alumni have returned as peer mentors, spoken at conferences, been interviewed for podcasts, and accepted paid work in open source.

This session will showcase the perspective of both current participants and program alumni, offering insight into how we can all work together to make open source more welcoming and inclusive. Whether you're looking to engage diverse new contributors, or you're just curious about the novice experience, you'll be sure to learn something new!

Speakers

Emily Lovell

Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Santa Cruz OSPO

Dr. Emily Lovell is an OSPO Incubator Fellow at UC Santa Cruz. Her research and teaching use novel domains to invite broader participation in computing, with her postdoctoral work focusing on newcomers to open source. Emily previously served on faculty at Berea College, where she... Read More →

Silas Morgan

Graduate Student and past Contributor Catalyst Mentor, Norfolk State University

Silas Morgan is a Graduate student and Alumni of Norfolk state university. He's majored in computer science, and participated in UCSC's Contributor Catalyst program both as a learner/participant, and as an alumni mentor helping students become engaged with open source. As a participant... Read More →

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:10pm - 2:50pm MDT
Bluebird Ballroom 3H

Equity + Inclusion + Accessibility

Audience Experience Level Any

Open Source Summit North America 2025

Emily Lovell

Silas Morgan

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