When the WordPress Foundation first envisioned a memorial scholarship to honor Kim Parsell, there was a deep interest in ensuring that Kim’s spirit, ethos and commitment to the WordPress community would be reflected in the recipients of the new award. We are delighted to announce that the winner of the inaugural Kim Parsell Memorship Scholarship is exactly the woman Kim would want to meet at WordCamp US. The 2015 recipient is Anyssa Ferreira; a Brazilian designer, feminist, and WordPress community activist.

About Anyssa Ferreira

In 2013, Anyssa and her business partner decided to redesign their studio’s website. For help with WordPress, they turned to the official Brazilian WordPress forum and Facebook group. The generosity of that community to assist with their project encouraged Anyssa and her business partner to attend to WordCamp São Paulo in 2013 as micro sponsors. While attending that first WordCamp, Anyssa began to understand the nature of the WordPress community – and very much wanted to be a part of it.

The following year, Anyssa served as an organizer for WordCamp São Paulo 2014, and was responsible for the visual identity of the WordCamp and its website. She also presented a talk. As an organizer and a speaker, she was the only woman. From there, she began to work to encourage more women to join the WordPress community in Brazil.

Since then, Anyssa has played an active role in increasing the participation of women in the WordPress and tech communities in Brazil. She has spoken publicly on the importance and value of female involvement in both. She has worked to debunk the myth that women have no interest in WordPress and web development. She has explored why women were not participating, speaking personally with many female programmers, designers and other WordPress professionals about this important topic. She regularly invites women to attend her local WordPress meetup, and works to ensure that they feel welcome and wanted when they do attend.

Kim Parsell often spoke of how the WordPress community was an inviting and personable group. Kim also was eager for more women to feel safe and welcome at WordPress events and within the WordPress community as a whole. We are convinced that Kim would agree that Anyssa Ferreira is exactly the sort of woman and activist who should attend WordPress US.