Linux Kernel mentees break open source glass ceiling

By Nithya Ruff and Jennifer Cloer 

The Linux kernel development community is considered one of the most deeply technical, highly influential and, frankly, most intimidating in all of tech. This has resulted, at times, in the appearance of an ultra exclusive and not exactly diverse group of people building the technology platform that runs most of our digital lives. 

But that seems to be changing. In recent years both the Linux Foundation’s Linux kernel mentee program and Outreachy, among others, are bringing more diverse contributors to this critical work, and it’s transforming the way the community looks and how it builds. This is important for many reasons but it’s incredibly important for women, because Linux and open source software are innovation and economic engines. We must build more inclusive spaces throughout open source so that women of all backgrounds can both contribute to the technology that will define our future and prosper financially from those contributions. 

For us, each from very different backgrounds, contributing to Linux and open source has created a wealth of opportunity and connection. Nithya grew up in India and studied computer science in the United States where she found her way to SanDisk and built the first women’s Innovation network employee resource group and was a core part of the OpenStack women’s group.  Jennifer grew up in a small, rural community in Oregon and studied journalism and public relations. She started contributing to Linux when she sought to tell stories about people, not just technologies, and went on to create the women in tech docuseries the Chasing Grace Project (and this very platform, Story Changes Culture Media).

We consider it both a privilege and responsibility to elevate and showcase the up and coming women in the Linux and open source communities. It’s one way we can pay it forward, so we sat down with three aspiring Linux kernel developers (today Linux Foundation Linux kernel mentees) to understand what’s motivating them to get involved in Linux, what their experiences have been like and where they go from here.

The Linux Kernel Mentees

Izabela Bakollari

Kelsey Skunberg

Himadri Pandya

Himadri Pandya, Kelsey Skunberg and Isabela Bakollari have a lot in common, especially their memories of submitting their first patch to the Linux kernel. 

“I sat and stared at my computer for an hour before submitting my first patch,” says Kelsey, a kernel engineer focused on stable release updates for Ubuntu and based in Fort Collins, Colorado.  

Himadri, a research engineer working on the Linux scheduler and based in India, agrees and says, “I admire these developers so much, so I get a bit nervous. Sending patches out was my biggest challenge and fear when I got started.”

But Himadri adds that after three months immersing herself in the Linux kernel, she was sending patches on the regular and “the responses were great and included detailed feedback in a very friendly way.”

“It’s going to be a challenge but you just keep going and reduce that voice in your head that you’re going to fail. I had many rejected but you still keep trying and it’s such a big deal when it does get accepted,” says Kelsey. 

There’s another thing they have in common and that’s a desire for their work to have an impact. 

“My goal was to do something meaningful with tech, working on the Linux kernel has a huge impact on the world,” says Izabela who is based in Albania and is about to begin a new job at Red Hat as an Associate Software Engineer. “A simple patch can be applied to billions of devices.”

“My motivation was that the Linux kernel really, really excites me,” says Himadri. “When I’m going to bed thinking about the problems I’m trying to solve and how many things are running Linux, it lets you know that you’re really making a difference.”

All of the women say that if you’re interested in contributing to ignore any doubts or negative voices in your head. They also suggest attending events and getting to know maintainers in person, as well as seeking out your mentor in those physical spaces. 

The importance of a mentor who genuinely wants to teach and has the patience to teach can’t be overestimated. Shuah Khan, who runs the Linux kernel mentee program at the Linux Foundation, knows this intimately and is intentional about matching mentees with the right mentors. Izabela, Pandya and Kelsey are all very positive about the quality and level of feedback they received from their mentees.  When done correctly, a guided mentor relationship is a good teaching method for contributing to the most complex of all open source projects.  This is a formula used by Google Summer of Code and Outreachy with good results. 

Kelsey says she’s most proud of her persistence. “So many times I wanted to back out. But I just kept going. I even went to a conference and spoke and I was terrified. But just do it.”

These Linux kernel mentees share common characteristics such as motivation and persistence. As with any difficult task - training for a marathon or climbing a mountain or learning something new - these elements are critical to sticking with the learning even when it is hard or seems impossible.

Disclosure: The Linux Foundation is a Story Changes Culture Consulting client, and Nithya Ruff is Chair of its Board of Directors.