Velda
Kiara

when I was trying to figure out things I love doing I came up with this 4 word mantra. My love for coding was an acquired one. It was a rough start but once I finally begun reading it and conceptualizing it, it changed everything and now I appreciate it even more. I like the fact that I can build and create anything I want to.

I build backend systems, APIs, and data pipelines, mostly in Python, with a deep love for Django. I care about the architecture as much as the output: clean interfaces, clear abstractions, and code that reads like a sonnet. My work spans the full engineering lifecycle, from mapping out complex system designs and robust DevOps pipelines to building on the cutting edge of AI.

I look at my editor like my own version of a canvas where the possibilities are endless.

I always say that if I was not doing this, I would probably start painting because there is something about a brushstroke that endears me.

In the early days of my life, I realized I could really write well, in my compositions, in the creative poems and generally how I used writing to articulate my thoughts when my voice was not enough. I started off writing my thoughts on my wordpress blog and eventually pivoted to the technical writing, which I still do.

I now have a bi-weekly newsletter that shares content in the tech ecosystem that includes essays, technical articles and personal stories. I write to slow down my thinking, to find what I actually believe about a problem rather than what I assumed.

I love stories and I love telling stories. Words are the other kind of engineering. Especially now, in the age of AI, where authenticity matters.

Follow my newsletter for more.

I used to love listening to different talk shows whether on sports or in general. At some point I really wanted to start a talk show. There is something about having conversations and being present in the moment sharing each others time and being engrossed in a topic that is special.

I give conference talks, community workshops, and engage in conversations on open source. I speak because the best ideas I have ever had arrived while I was trying to explain something to someone else. The audience also teaches the speaker.

Talk shows have now become podcasts. I might start one or not, I am still figuring it out.

My parents always took us to tours to different countries, cities and towns on holidays or just because. My love for traveling was inherited from them.

I now enjoy the challenge a new country or city presents. Every city has a different grammar and vibe to it. My ability to figure out how to navigate, the best places to go to and make the most of it.

Being on the road, rail, sea, or sky is the longest research project I have ever run.

If all that disappeared, would I still be me? Yes!

My identity is not rooted in what I do. It's rooted in who I am as a person, who was beautifully formed and made. A wanted child. A love child. A child of the soil. A person who is kind, considerate and always ready to serve.

It just so happens that in this moment that you are sharing with me, this is what I am choosing. It might change or it might not, but either way, its going to be epic 💜.