2025 Shubhra Kar LiFT Scholarship Recipients
Anamika Aggarwal, 19, India
Open Source Newbie
After building apps with React Native and winning hackathons with AI tools, Anamika Aggarwal was inspired by a Web3 event to explore decentralization and privacy-first infrastructure. She’s now diving into smart contracts, wallet authentication, and token-based systems—driven by a desire to give users more control over their data.
Anamika actively contributes to open source projects in the civic tech space and is developing a harassment-detection browser extension to protect users from online abuse. She credits open source communities for giving her the confidence and mentorship to grow.
She plans to use her scholarship to deepen her understanding of Blockchain & Decentralized Identity technologies and continue building tools that put users first.
Devkumar Banerjee, 18, USA
Open Source Tech Teen
From building his first computer in third grade using Ubuntu to interning at Lockheed Martin before starting college, Devkumar Banerjee has pursued open source with both necessity and passion. Open source tools have powered his explorations in machine learning, data analysis, and cybersecurity—and inspired him to give back.
He now aims to contribute to embedded systems security, combining his experience with Linux-based hardware and interest in memory-safe languages like Rust. His goal is to help make the Internet of Things more secure and accessible.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Devkumar will deepen his technical skills and collaborate with the community to build safer, smarter systems through Open Source technology.
Wendy Ha, 24, Australia
Woman in Open Source
Wendy Ha made her first open source contribution by updating the Kubernetes tutorial she was using to self-learn the platform—and she hasn’t looked back. Now a Release Signal Lead for Kubernetes v1.33, she mentors new contributors and helps ship releases used by millions.
Originally from a small village in Vietnam, Wendy credits free and open source tools for enabling her education and career. Today, she advocates for inclusion in the cloud native community, especially for women and underrepresented contributors.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Wendy will pursue her Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification and continue growing as both a technical leader and mentor in open source.
H.G. Ruhini Siyara, 19, Sri Lanka
Open Source Girl
Ruhini Siyara began her open source journey while waiting for her university admission results—choosing to invest in her future instead of waiting on it. She dove into self-paced learning in Linux, DevOps, and cloud technologies, building a strong foundation for a career in IT.
Though still early in her path, Ruhini is passionate about becoming a DevOps engineer and inspiring more girls to enter open source. She’s committed to helping others grow, just as she grows herself.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Ruhini will pursue training and certification to gain real-world skills and start contributing to the global open source community as she builds her DevOps career.
Valeria Belén Cerpa Salas, 28, Peru
Open Source Volunteer Developer
Valeria Belén Cerpa Salas is passionate about using open source to support community-driven tech. A volunteer developer and 2025 Young Global Ambassador with the Internet Society, she’s helping build secure digital learning spaces for girls to explore the Internet and online safety.
Valeria has contributed to open source desktop and front-end projects, especially in health tech and accessibility. She’s now deepening her knowledge of Linux, DevOps, and system security to prepare for a future in infrastructure-focused roles.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Valeria will pursue her Linux Foundation Certified IT Associate (LFCA) certification and continue mentoring others while building inclusive, real-world open source solutions.
Awgechew Kasahun, 28, United Arab Emirates
SysAdmin Super Star
Awgechew Kasahun is a core network engineer helping telecom systems transition into the cloud-native era. His experience spans Linux, containerization, and vendor platforms—now enhanced by open source tools like Prometheus and Grafana, which he’s using to improve network monitoring and performance.
Awgechew is now expanding his skills in Kubernetes and cloud-native networking to support 5G infrastructure. He’s introduced Git for configuration tracking and is steadily moving from user to contributor in the open source space.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Awgechew will pursue his Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification and continue helping shape the future of telecom through open source innovation.
Etinosa Emmanuel, 29, Nigeria
Digital Trust Innovator
Etinosa Emmanuel is a full-stack engineer advancing trust in technology through open source. At Tek-Experts, he’s used open tools like Kubernetes, Grafana, and React to build scalable enterprise applications—and recently led a team developing ReconcileAI using open source APIs and dashboards.
He’s now exploring Hyperledger Fabric to prototype blockchain-backed systems that improve transparency in supply chains and digital identity. Passionate about observability, Etinosa is also deepening his knowledge of tools like OpenTelemetry and Jaeger to support resilient, cloud-native infrastructure.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Etinosa will strengthen his skills and contribute to building secure, inclusive systems that empower communities through open source Blockchain & Decentralized Identity technologies.
Huu Nguyen, 44, Viet Nam
Cloud Champion
Huu Nguyen brings deep consulting experience and a growing passion for open source to his work in cloud-native solutions. A former Windows-focused engineer, he now leads projects that deploy Kubernetes and virtualization technologies for major banking clients.
As demand grows for vendor-neutral infrastructure, Huu is expanding his skills in Kubernetes application development and OpenStack to better support customers seeking alternatives to proprietary platforms.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Huu will take the Kubernetes for Developers (LFD259) course and pursue his Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) certification.
Okechukwu Madukwe, 31, Nigeria
Networking Innovator
Okechukwu Madukwe is a Core Network Engineer at MainOne Solutions by Equinix, where he combines open source technologies with enterprise tools to deliver high-performance network services. He’s used ONOS and OpenDaylight to guide design decisions, and recently provisioned L2VPN services for clients like ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies.
He brings a strong track record of applying open source networking technologies in real-world enterprise environments—helping customers reduce latency, improve reliability, and boost data transfer speeds. His ability to integrate open tools with platforms like Ciena’s MCP has led to tailored, cost-effective solutions for complex infrastructure challenges.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, he plans to deepen his expertise in Linux and DevOps to help him continue building innovative, efficient networks across Africa.
Jennifer Yakam, 23, Cameroon
Node.JS Innovator
Jennifer Yakam began her tech career with minimal professional experience—but quickly grew into a confident frontend developer by diving into open source JavaScript. On the job, she’s used React, Redux, and TypeScript to build accessible, responsive interfaces, while improving her code quality with tools like ESLint and Prettier.
Her experience contributing to open source projects has expanded her skills in Git, UI development, and ethical software practices. Now, she’s focused on learning backend development to become a full stack engineer and contribute even more broadly to open source.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Jennifer will continue advancing her Web and Application Development skills.
Anna Kamene, 24, Kenya
Cybersecurity Defender
Anna Kamene is a Cybersecurity Engineer at Reliance Infosystems, where she uses open source tools like Kali Linux, Wireshark, and Volatility in real-world threat defense and forensic investigations. Her work includes documenting vulnerability scans, publishing forensic walkthroughs, and helping others apply open tools effectively and responsibly.
Her IT journey began with crashing her own system while installing Kali Linux—an experience that sparked a deep appreciation for the open source community and a commitment to lifelong learning. Today, she shares her findings online to promote trust and transparency in security tools.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Anna will continue building her Cybersecurity expertise to help shape a safer, more inclusive landscape through open source.
David Mayshiogie, 31, Indonesia
Linux Super Pro
David Mayshiogie helps power his organization’s infrastructure with Linux servers running CentOS, Rocky Linux, and Ubuntu. He uses shell scripts and crontab for automation, and supports backend deployments across Node.js, Python, PHP, and Java—paired with tools like PM2, Nginx, and Apache.
David is also exploring the frontier of open source by building AI applications with YOLO and Flask, and writing smart contracts in Solidity and Haskell. He sees blockchain and AI as transformative technologies, and open source as the key to scaling them responsibly.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, David will focus on growing his Linux expertise.
The Anh Nguyen, 26, Australia
Open Source Collge/University Professor/Reseacher
The Anh Nguyen is a PhD researcher at the University of Adelaide focused on securing the software supply chain through SBOM technologies. He explores how artifacts like SBOM and AIBOM can help protect open source users from compromised packages and ensure software integrity across ecosystems.
With prior experience as a software and AI engineer, The Anh has built and self-hosted applications using Spring Boot, FastAPI, Docker, and Kubernetes. He also promotes open source through academic mentorship and community engagement.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, The Anh will deepen his research and help build safer, more trustworthy Open Source Infrastructure for developers everywhere.
Russell Deffner, 45, USA
Unemployed Open Source Professional
Russell Deffner has spent over a decade using open source geospatial tools to support humanitarian efforts worldwide. Through his work with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), he’s helped deliver open map data to organizations like the Red Cross, UN, and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Now eager to grow beyond coordination into development, Russell is exploring AI & ML and Blockchain and Decentralized Identity applications for mapping—starting with HOT’s new “fAIr” platform. He sees open source as key to empowering people through technology rather than being controlled by it.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Russell will deepen his technical skills and continue building open tools that support global humanitarian efforts.
Letlaka Tsotetsi, 35, South Africa
Public/Government Open Source Innovator
Letlaka Tsotetsi supports Gauteng's provincial government as part of the eGov team, using open source tools like Python and Django to streamline reporting and improve the province’s antivirus oversight. His custom-built system helps decision-makers track coverage gaps and strengthen cybersecurity across public services.
Letlaka has also developed internal apps and public websites using Django—open source work that has improved access and efficiency for government employees. Now self-teaching backend development, he hopes to expand his skills to bring new, citizen-focused systems to life.
With support from the LiFT Scholarship, Letlaka plans to grow his Web & Application Development expertise and continue building open tools that strengthen public service delivery.
Nwazojie Chinwendu, 24, Nigeria
Woman in Open Source
In addition to working in IT, Nwazojie is a chapter leader of Open Source Community Africa in Nigeria. It was through an Open Source Community Africa event she attended in 2019 that she first learned about open source. She plans to use her scholarship to further her professional development in the areas of cloud native technologies and DevOps. Nwazojie will then use her new knowledge and skills to help give other women the confidence to pursue a career in open source technology through training and mentoring.