Flock 2026 marked my debut at a Fedora conference, and it certainly won’t be the last. I returned home buzzing with fresh ideas, new friendships, and even a project to dive into for next year.
Appreciation
First, a huge shout-out to the Flock organizers and volunteers. Orchestrating an event like this demands countless hours of quiet, behind-the-scenes effort, and it showed in how seamlessly everything unfolded. Thank you!
I’m also grateful to the event sponsors. Their backing enables contributors from across the globe to converge, learn from each other, and reinforce the Fedora community.
A special thanks to my mentor, Jona, for nudging and supporting me until I finally made it. And a big thank you to Fedora for the sponsorship that brought me there.
This year, I also had the privilege of joining the Mentor Summit organizing team, helping to shape the same sessions I once attended as a newcomer. It was a full-circle moment. 🙂
Contributing to something I love has always been deeply rewarding, and Fedora has long been one of my favorite communities. Along the way, I’ve forged strong friendships and crossed paths with countless wonderful people.
Finally, I’d like to thank the Nairobi GNU/Linux Users Group for throwing their support behind Fedora’s Recognition Program this year by sponsoring the trophies and keychains. It was fantastic to see our local community play a role in honoring Fedora contributors, and I hope this marks the start of a lasting tradition.
This time around, the winners were Fabio Valentini, Justin Forbes, and Ankur Sinha, in that order. Congratulations to all of you—keep up the amazing work! 🎉 You can hear them share their stories in our podcast episode, Fedora Contributor Recognition Program 056.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
I love how Fedora champions people from under-represented groups. Attending Flock felt like a reward for the community work I’ve been doing—organizing and mentoring remotely from home. Being there in person, witnessing that my efforts were valued, meant the world to me.
That’s what I adore about Fedora: it’s genuinely welcoming, and it embodies the Four Foundations day in and day out.
I also believe that the in-person inclusive checklist I helped develop last year contributed to this year’s event success. I loved the venue—no wonder we returned to the same spot as last year.
Honestly, I’d say everything was spot-on. So a big nod to the Flock organizers—the venue was perfection. 🙂
The talks
There was an overwhelming amount to soak in: design, the Mentor Summit, docs and the docs initiative, insights from FOSDEM and SCaLE, and so much more.
We also had the fbrnch workshop, Fedora data and analytics sessions, and honestly, too many compelling talks to enumerate here.
If there’s a recurring lesson in this community, it’s that nothing happens unless you ask. I don’t wait to be handpicked; I actively seek ways to engage, dive deep, and simply ask, ask, ask. This year, I wanted to handle speaker logistics for the Fedora Linux 44 release party. While scanning open tickets, I spotted the task and asked if I could take it on. And I did. I realize some people might hesitate to raise their hand like that, but Fedora is always welcoming, and honestly, we can always use extra hands. Jump in—it feels incredible to contribute to something you love.
Amusingly, a friend complimented me—I think?—by saying I know how to navigate open-source communities and always find something to do. I’m still not sure if that’s just a “community person” trait or because I genuinely enjoy understanding people and learning new things. Maybe it’s both.
Candy Swap
The candy swap—I absolutely loved this! Such a brilliant idea. Sorry to disappoint that I couldn’t find time to bring anything, but I promise I will next time.
Mentor Summit
This marked the 5th edition of the Fedora Mentor Summit, and it crammed a lot into a few days. Lunch & Learn sessions spanned all three days—informal, team-themed gatherings where you could break out of your usual circle and sit with folks from Docs, Infra, Marketing, Packaging, Design, or any area you wanted to explore. No pressure, just conversation over a meal.
We also had a sticker-matching icebreaker. At registration, everyone received a Fedora mascot sticker, and the goal was to find your match and strike up a chat about anything open source.
Being on the organizing side for the first time gave me a whole new appreciation for the quiet coordination required to make something feel effortless for attendees. Read more about how Mentor Summit came together here.
The hallway track
This is where the real magic unfolds. Daniel delivered a casual, off-the-cuff talk about eBPF, and that conversation turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire trip.
I connected with team members, made new friends, and it was exhilarating to simply sit and learn from them in a way that a formal presentation seldom facilitates.
And out of that hallway chat, I actually stumbled upon another way to contribute within Fedora. I now have a project I aim to complete and present at the next Flock—mentored by Daniel on eBPF. (I’m putting this here for accountability, so you can hold me to it. 😅)
I keep meeting incredibly kind, genuine Fedora friends who are eager to mentor and invest their time. That speaks volumes about how truly welcoming this community is.
Every person I met was kind and always up for discussing their experiences and their passion for open source—and how they hope more people discover it, try free software, and enjoy it in their own languages, wherever they are. That last achievement is thanks to the i18n and translation teams across open source communities, whose work often flies under the radar.
Being early in my career, I naturally had to ask people how they got started. I won’t go off on a tangent, but summing up the advice: be a problem solver, and contribute to what you believe in—something you enjoy or find genuinely fascinating.
*Thanks for sticking with me this far. What follows isn’t a big deal—just the city.*
The city
I extended my stay by three days to explore Prague. I snapped so many photos my phone storage nearly threw in the towel—I found almost everything lovely and fantastic. I’ll share some of my best shots of the museum and the city below.
A big thanks to my friend MatH for being my tour guide! 🙂
I absolutely adored it. It says a lot that the organizers knew just how magnificent this city is and trusted that we’d fall for it all over again—and they were right.
I wish I could include every beautiful photo I took, but for now, these few will have to tell the story.
Take away
Each day with Fedora, I learn more about open source, and I get to give back to my community at home.
I am Fedora. ❤
If any of this piqued your curiosity, here’s how to dive in: join us in the Fedora Join SIG, or if you’re just testing the waters, the Beginner’s Guide is the friendliest starting point.
Your Friend in Open Source, and Open-Source Freedom Fighter.
