On Building, Then Leaving, Community

When I moved up to Boston, I felt very lonely. I had my partner, sure, but that's never quite enough. I tried going to existing meetups but I found that they were too large and I still felt isolated. I had been part of a PyLadies group in Atlanta, so I decided to start one in Boston. From the very first meeting, I was energized by the women who came. They were all so excited about the group and the possibilities that it pushed me to spend more time organizing, where I might have otherwise said I was too busy. Every event we had, no matter how small or large, gave me energy and life. It was so gratifying to be able to give people who had never spoken in public before a platform to share their knowledge.

A few months after the founding of PyLadies Boston, I heard about a Ruby women's study group that had formed. Since I was by then working in Rails, I joined hoping to get to know more people in the Ruby community. That group moved from a mailing list to Meetup a few months after I joined and became Boston Ruby Women. That group has also been a source of good in my life. Every month, I'm able to help junior developers not lose confidence during tough job searches. Every month, I talk to brilliant women who routinely give wonderful advice on how to deal with all the bullshit that life throws. The group is always up for a table flipping conversation and I love it so much for that.

I am excited to be moving to Pittsburgh and to start a new chapter in my life. But I'm brokenhearted to leave these two communities. I have faith that I'll be able to meet rad and awesome women in my new home, but I know it will take time. Thank you to everyone who has helped me grow over the past four years. Y'all mean so much to me.