In 2015, the WordPress Foundation established an annual memorial scholarship to honor the memory of Kim Parsell, a beloved and influential contributor to the WordPress community. Kim’s legacy continues to inspire connection, mentorship, and inclusivity across WordPress.
In 2024, the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship was expanded to include WordCamp Asia and WordCamp Europe, reflecting Kim’s dedication to inclusivity and empowering more contributors to engage in global collaboration.
This year, the scholarship for WordCamp Asia was awarded to Zeel Thakkar and Pooja Derashri. Two recipients were selected this year because Pooja could not attend WordCamp US in the year she was selected for the scholarship.
Remembering Zeel Thakkar
Zeel Thakkar (@zeelthakkar) of Ahmedabad, India, brought energy, leadership, and kindness to everything she did. A talented freelance WordPress developer at Jpadweb, Zeel’s journey began with a simple internship that evolved into a lifelong passion for development and community building.
Within the WordPress Ahmedabad community, Zeel was a tireless organiser, helping lead events including WordCamp Ahmedabad 2023 and Do_Action 2024. Her work united contributors, fostered collaboration through regular meetups, and upheld her belief in empowering women in technology.
Zeel’s technical contributions were equally significant. She played a key role on the WordPress 6.7 Testing Team, helping ensure the platform’s ongoing stability, and contributed to the Training Team to create educational resources for learners across the world. Her dedication to professional growth and commitment to inclusivity continue to inspire those who had the honor of working alongside her. Zeel’s passing is a tremendous loss, and she will be remembered with deep respect and gratitude.
Celebrating Pooja Derashri
Pooja Derashri (@webtechpooja), from Ajmer, India, first started using WordPress in 2013 and went on to co-found WPVibes, a WordPress plugin development agency, with her husband Anand. While she began her career as a developer, she has since expanded her expertise into SEO and Content Marketing, helping shape WordPress projects holistically.
Pooja’s contribution journey began in 2017 with the WPTV and Polyglots teams, where she helped localize content and make WordPress more accessible to Hindi speakers. Since 2021, she has served as a Global Translation Editor for Hindi, and in 2019 joined the WordPress Training Team. As a Co-Team Rep, Pooja now helps lead efforts behind LearnWP, creating educational materials that support trainers and learners worldwide.
Both Zeel and Pooja embody the spirit of dedication, generosity, and empowerment that the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship was created to celebrate. Their contributions continue to enrich the WordPress community and inspire others to share knowledge and support one another.
