Hiya DEV peeps, I'm Ella and I'm a dev.to lurker. As a tech-positive non-developer, I've been enjoying the richness of this community and how supportive and collaborative y'all are. It's such a rush to write my first post here, announcing that I've joined the fantastic team behind DEV and Forem as a Community Associate.

What does this mean?

I am beyond excited to be joining @michaeltharrington and @itscasey to support everyone on dev.to, community.codenewbie.org, and the Forem ecosystem. We're here to help, so don't hesitate to reach out to us at yo@dev.to any time!

Despite my first forays into coding 20+ years ago, curiosity took me down a different path so my career background is in face-to-face communities, wellness, and the ubiquitous service industry. My goal is to bring empathy and compassion from these fields into my role here, and serve this community and all the Forems with heart, soul, and a healthy dose of humility.

Why Forem?

As a former youth worker and community educator, I have a deep stake in a healthier internet. DEV is a model for inclusive online communities that encourage and build people up, share knowledge and insights that narrow the education gap, and elevate everyone's access to learning and growth opportunities. It's incredible that the wider world now gets a chance to build online spaces in its image.

I gotta hand it to you all, because the community here is what makes all of this possible. Thank you, DEV members, for contributing to making this place great!

By the by

I'm into dancing, callisthenics, growing plants (indoors and outdoors), knitting, and playing too much League of Legends. If any of this resonates, feel free to connect!