- Name: Jen Wolke
- Pronouns: She/her
- Company name: blueModus
- Role: Solution Lead
- Country/region: Colorado, United States
- Working with Umbraco for: 3 years from version 8.
Jen’s first steps into the Umbraco Community
I attended my first Umbraco Conference in October of 2023 - the US Summit. I was so impressed by the friendliness and openness of everyone there! While there I met Erica, Janae and Kyle from Skrift and heard Lotte talk about 24 Days in Umbraco. My thought at the time was "I should check those out!" but during my travels home from the US Summit, I was so inspired that I came up with several ideas for articles and reached out to the Skrift team as soon as I got home. The rest, as they say is history!
You can read my Skirft articles here and my 24 Days article here.
Jen with her fellow panelists and Umbraco friends, at the Open Source Summit in North America
I'm hooked on getting involved!
So far I have written articles, spoken at a couple of conferences and joined the newly formed Umbraco Cloud Advisory Board. I'm hoping to get more involved in creating packages and in helping grow the community in the US.
Being recognized as an MVP this year was pretty incredible, but I think writing my first article for 24 Days is my favorite experience so far. Once I wrote that first article, I was hooked and that really started my journey into the Umbraco community.
What is it about the Umbraco Community that keeps me coming back for more?
It sounds cliché, but the friendliness is what keeps me engaged. Every time I think the community couldn't possibly be more welcoming, I am proven wrong! I attended Codegarden this year for the first time and was absolutely blown away by how friendly and open everyone was. I don't typically think of myself as an extrovert, but I was one for 4 days this June! I'm pretty sure I talked to more people over those few days than I typically do in a year and I enjoyed every minute of it! I was inspired and energized by the talks, conversations, creativity and camaraderie and want to share that feeling and encourage others to join the community.
Announcement of the new Umbraco Cloud Advisory Board, which Jen is a member of.
Things I'm working on...
I have a couple of articles that are half finished because I switched my focus over to Codegarden for the last month or so and I want to get back to those. I also have several packages I want to create both for the marketplace and for internal use at blueModus to augment our starter kit. Speaking of which, I have some improvements I want to make to our starter kit, not to mention upgrading it from V10 to V13 (I know, I know - I'm way behind on this!).
Also, CODECABIN is on my Umbraco bucket list and I have an idea for a product I'd like to build using Umbraco.
Some tips for anyone looking to join the Umbraco Community
Don't be afraid to ask questions - everyone really is exceptionally friendly!
If an opportunity presents itself to get involved - do it! Don't second guess whether you are good enough or smart enough or interesting enough! When someone in the Umbraco community encourages you, they mean it!
Get involved in whatever way works for you. One of the things I love about the Umbraco community is that there are some many ways to participate; there's something for everyone!
Jen presenting her first Codegarden talk.
A few fun facts about me.
- I am a huge sports fan! I enjoy playing and watching a wide variety of sports.
- I like playing boards games with the my family, a firm favourite is Camel Up.
- On my non-Umbraco bucket list is a desire to see the Northern Lights.
Stay in touch!
I mainly use LinkedIn!
Is there someone you'd like to nominate for a uProfile?
Do you know someone who deserves a spotlight on their Umbraco journey? To nominate a friend, peer, or colleague, reach out to Lucy Brailsford in the DevRel Team at community@umbraco.com and explain why!
