Red Hat Announces 2017 Women in Open Source Award Winners

Red Hat, Inc. , the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, announced Avni Khatri, president of Kids on Computers, and Jigyasa Grover, a student at Delhi Technological University, as the 2017 Women in Open Source Award winners. Both the winners were awarded at Red Hat Summit, which  took place in Boston last week.

In its third year, the Women in Open Source Awards were created and sponsored by Red Hat to honor women who make important contributions to open source projects and communities, or those making innovative use of open source methodology. Nominations for this year’s awards were accepted for two categories: academic (those currently enrolled in a college or university) and community (those working or volunteering on projects related to open source). Finalists were determined based on nomination criteria, with the public voting to determine the winners.

Khatri, who was recognized in the community category, is the president of Kids on Computers, a non-profit that sets up computer labs installed with free and open source software (FOSS) in underserved communities. An open source contributor for more than 16 years, she is passionate about helping kids and parents receive unlimited access to education to give them more autonomy over their lives and improve their communities. She sees FOSS as instrumental to realizing this vision, and has worked to bring technology to communities around the world with Kids on Computers. As a volunteer since 2010 and the organization’s president since 2012, Khatri has traveled to remote communities in Mexico, India, and Morocco to install school labs with Linux computers, FOSS applications, and open content such as offline Wikipedia and Khan Academy, and she has enabled local volunteers to support these labs. Khatri recently helped start For a Living, an open source platform designed to help students to learn about different careers by interviewing professionals based on careers, interests, and skill sets. She also served as a co-chair of the Open Source Track at Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in 2010, and co-chair of the conference’s Open Source Day in 2011 and 2012.

Grover, who was recognized in the academic category, is a student at Delhi Technological University (formerly known as Delhi College of Engineering), pursuing a bachelor’s of technology in computer engineering. An open source contributor for three years, her journey in open source began through work in competitive algorithmic C/C++ program source. As her skills progressed, she eventually became one of the top contributors to Pharo 4.0, which was released in 2015. Grover was a participant in Google Summer of Code in 2015 and 2016, and is now a mentor. She has been awarded research opportunities by the National Research Council of Canada and the European Smalltalk Users Group (ESUG) at Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) France. She is the director of Women Who Code Delhi, and she participates in Google Developers Group, Google Women Techmakers, Women in Science and Engineering, Systers, and Indian Women in Computing. In addition, Grover is a platform developer, organizer, and mentor for Learn IT, Girl!, and has conducted Android app development workshops for teenagers in Singapore.

The winners received a $2,500 stipend with suggested use to support open source projects or efforts. In addition, they will be featured on Opensource.com and given the opportunity to speak at a future Red Hat Women’s Leadership Community event.

Supporting Quotes

DeLisa Alexander, executive vice president and chief people officer, Red Hat
“Congratulations to Avni and Jigyasa on being recognized as 2017 Women in Open Source Award winners. Their passion and dedication is making an impact in open source communities and the world, and they are an inspiration to future generations. In addition to their technical contributions, I commend their efforts to mentor and advocate for others. Diversity and inclusion are priorities for Red Hat, and we are proud to recognize women who are making a difference in the industry.”

Avni Khatri, president of Kids on Computers
“I am honored that my work with free and open source software and Kids on Computers has been recognized with the Women in Open Source Award. Open source has made it possible for us to provide technology and educational content to communities at scale so that we can improve the lives of kids who don’t have access to technology. Through this award, I will be able to continue my work to bring technology to kids in underserved communities around the world, with the hope that it will allow them to better their lives as well as their communities. Thank you, Red Hat, for recognizing and supporting this work.”

Jigyasa Grover, student, Delhi Technological University
“I am thrilled, encouraged, and humbled to be presented with the prestigious Women in Open Source Academic Award. As a proud member of the open source community, I aspire to continue my work and exploration of new open source technologies, and to keep connecting people with the range of opportunities open source offers. Thank you, Red Hat, for this recognition and honor.”