DjangoCon US 2025 was in Chicago from September 7th-11th. Four months earlier, I had delivered a talk at North Bay Python (NBPython) titled, “Djangonaut Space: A Mentorship Program For Open Source”. The proposal I submitted for DjangoCon US was the same as for NBPython, but I was very dissatisfied. I didn’t want to give the same talk. I didn’t like the content, and I didn’t like my delivery.

In preparing for DjangoCon US, I reflected on my contributions and experiences in the time since NBPython, and I was able to include new material. However, as I was practicing my speech, I would clock in at 35 or 40 or 45 minutes, instead of the allotted 25 minutes. I didn’t want to cut out the new material and water it down to the original talk. I tend to speak slowly and softly. It’s a reflection of my uneasiness. I realized if I could speed up my speech, perhaps I can get all the content in, and I can also appear more lively. So, instead of cutting out the material, I challenged myself to speak faster and more energetically. As I was practicing, I was able to clock in closer to 25 minutes.

In the actual talk, I spent the first 3 minutes of the time slot trying to update my computer settings to show my notes. I couldn’t deliver without my notes, because I was reading it verbatim, so I knew I really had to speed up my speech. There was no time to slack. I remember feeling very out of breath around the 9 minute mark, but I kept going. My speaking time clocked in at about 20 minutes! I even had remaining time for one question in the end.

Being able to share my experiences from the Djangonaut Space program to a room filled with my mentors, as well as strangers turned acquaintances, was amazing. I’m glad it worked out. I’m glad I was able to portray how much the program means to me. I liked how the slides turned out, especially the chart on slide 15. The original slide was just bullet points of text. I’m glad I was able to challenge myself and grow even more.

It was wonderful afterwards when people came up and told me they enjoyed my talk. Some asked how they can apply to be a mentor. It is amazing to see that several of those people are now participating in the program. I don’t think my talk alone was the major reason for people getting involved, but I imagine it played a role in bringing awareness to the program and revealing perspectives and raw emotions.

After challenging myself to speak physically differently than I normally do, I feel I have opened myself up to the world. I’ve shown myself that I can take up space. I can project my voice. I don’t have to feel apologetic for any of it. I don’t have to default to thinking I am inferior to anybody else. Quite the opposite. I think people have wanted me to take up space and speak up for a long time. Someone with a big name in the community who I admire told me they noticed a huge difference in me, and they are very happy to see it.