Two Nigerians have emerged among recipients of the 2018 Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarships that promote innovation though open source.
The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source says that LiFT aims to increase diversity in open source technology by providing access to online and in-person training and certification exams for underserved demographics at no cost to the recipient.
The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, has announced the recipients of the 2018 Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarships. LiFT aims to increase diversity in open source technology by providing access to online and in-person training and certification exams for underserved demographics at no cost to the recipient.
Since 2010, The Linux Foundation has awarded 106 scholarships worth over $220,000 providing specialised, technical training to those who may not have the ability to afford this opportunity otherwise, the organisation says.
The Linux Foundation
Since 2010, The Linux Foundation has awarded 106 scholarships worth over $220,000 providing specialised, technical training to those who may not have the ability to afford this opportunity otherwise, the organisation says.
The 2018 Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarships recipients include two Nigerians, Adedayo Bello, 28, and Onyeibo Oku, 33.
According to his profile, Adedayo, “holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and while a beginner in open source, he believes it is the future and will be very beneficial for problem solving and creating new innovations. He looks forward to learning more about both graphical interfaces and the command line.”
Onyeibo who manages an e-laboratory in the Department of Architecture at Enugu State University of Science and Technology in Nigeria “feels that open source training and certification will make his inputs more convincing to his peers and to their ICT Department.”
Onyeibo also “feels further training will make it easier to convince the institution to consider open source tools for administrative and public relations tasks. He wants to expose open source to other Nigerians who may not have access due to poor infrastructure and economy and believes this scholarship will help him do so.”
This year, The Linux Foundation awarded scholarships to 31 of the more than 900 applicants who vied to be selected in one of the nine categories offered. Two applicants were selected to receive a scholarship in each category with the exception of ‘Open Source Newbies’, in which 15 applicants were selected, the body says.
This year’s selected pool of talent represents the potential for greatness in future participation in the open source community. Ages of recipients range from 17 to 53 with the average age being 26 years old. With the recipients also coming from 21 countries, the open source novices and seasoned tech professionals selected to receive this year’s scholarships serve as a reminder that interest in open source and technology generally crosses all demographics.
“With the LiFT scholarship program, we strive to select a cohort of individuals that represent the future of software development and those who will utilize this opportunity to give back to not only the broader open source community, but also their local communities,” Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin, says. “Scholarship programs such as LiFT showcase the unlimited opportunities a single person can unlock for themselves and other aspiring developers when given access to do so.”
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