Abstract Wikipedia/Updates/2023-06-28

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Abstract Wikipedia Updates

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Thank you, Cai!

Cai Blanton joined us in 2021 as the engineering manager for the Abstract Wikipedia team. I wanted to share a few words about the impact Cai had on our team, but my colleague Geno put it into words better than I could, and she speaks for me too when she says:

Cai built a sense of togetherness, focus, initiative to look at ourselves and figure out ways to do our work better. And I am not talking about code. I am talking about how we treat each other, how we care, how we look out for our colleagues and make spaces that makes us feel every morning that it's worth going through the trouble.

I am deeply grateful for the time you have been with us and how you have consistently demonstrated that the end does not justify the means. It is not only important what we do, our goal, our mission. It is crucial how we get there, what culture we build on the way.

It is not only us, the Abstract Wikipedia team, that is losing a valuable member, but the whole Wikimedia Foundation. Your dedication to fairness, equity and belonging will be missed and will continue to be needed.

We will let Cai take leave in her own words.

It’s been a wild journey working with all of you wonderful humans to build Wikifunctions and begin ideating on Abstract Wikipedia. I have been proud to be a Wikimedian and your colleague. Thank you so much for trusting me, being vulnerable with one another, and building a safe, decolonial, and feminist culture together. Thank you for how much you have taught me and how much we have learned together. I wish Wikifunctions a successful launch and continued growth and success to the mission.

Thank you Cai for your contributions, and for your lasting impact on the project team and the project.

Thank you, Allan!

Allan Jeremy from ThisDot joined us earlier this year, and he has been very active in developing the front end, making it work smoother, and adding tests to make it run more stable. Allan has been joining us from Nairobi, Kenya. We enjoyed his great work and his positive attitude.

Hey Wikimedians, Allan Jeremy here.

6 months ago, I got to join one of the most exciting projects of my career as an Engineer. The idea of representing human language in an abstract enough form that would empower the accessibility of human knowledge to people from all backgrounds felt fascinating and challenging at the same time. As soon as I joined, I was welcomed by one of the friendliest and most helpful teams I have ever worked with. Each person has their own unique perspective, but all share that they are all really, really smart. Everyone on the team was and is aligned with the same vision: to make the sum of all human knowledge accessible to everyone. I was really excited to be part of this team and to be able to contribute to this vision.

Working on this has been really cool, challenging, and innovative. I’d like to officially thank the Wikimedia Foundation for allowing me to work on this project and for the support they have given me during this time. I’d also like to thank the Abstract Wikipedia team for being so welcoming and helpful. I’m really proud of what we have accomplished together, and I’m sure this is just the beginning of a long journey. I am sad to leave so soon but cherish the entire experience. Thank you all for being awesome and allowing me to be part of the future!

Thank you, Allan, for your contributions to Wikifunctions, and we wish you all the best on your future path!