For the very first time, WordCamp Rajshahi 2026 happened, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. This time I was a speaker, trying to share my personal journey and the inspirations others should look for within themselves. This WordPress event is special to me for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it took place at my alma mater, RUET in Rajshahi. After 5 years as a student, returning to the same campus as a speaker gave me thrills and utmost happiness.
How was the first-ever WordCamp in the city of silk and mangoes? How was my experience as a speaker at WordCamp Rajshahi? If you want to get a glimpse of it, then start reading.
The Story I Chose to Tell on the WordCamp Rajshahi 2026 Stage
In WordCamp Rajshahi 2026, my talk title was:
Interesting, right? Instead of focusing on AI or marketing-related topics, which are my areas of expertise, I chose to share my journey and inspire others. This is not just my journey that I wanted to share; I wanted everyone to feel good about themselves and move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.
This talk is a deeply personal story about growth, consistency, contribution, and how WordPress can completely change the direction of someone’s life, even when they start from a small city with no clear roadmap ahead.
I believe this talk is especially meaningful for WordCamp Rajshahi because the journey itself began here. It creates a powerful local connection for attendees who may currently be standing exactly where I once stood.
As someone who studied at RUET in Rajshahi and later became an active WordPress contributor, global community participant, and Head of Marketing at a WordPress product company, WebCartisan, I wanted to share the real journey behind that transformation: not the polished success version, but the slow, uncertain, and human version that many people quietly live through.
This session explored how small but consistent efforts, community involvement, curiosity, and simply continuing to show up can create opportunities far bigger than we initially imagine.
I tried to cover:
- How WordPress became a gateway to global opportunities.
- The role of contribution and community in personal growth.
- Overcoming self-doubt, stagnation, and “being stuck in the middle.”
- Why consistency matters more than instant success.
- How small local beginnings can lead to global impact
This was not a “success story” session filled with motivational clichés. It was a practical and emotional conversation for:
- Students trying to find direction.
- Contributors are questioning whether their work matters.
- Professionals feeling lost or stuck in routine.
- Company owners and employees need renewed motivation.
- Community members searching for purpose and belonging
More than anything, this session was meant to remind people that meaningful growth rarely happens overnight. Sometimes the biggest life-changing opportunities begin with simply refusing to stop what you already started.
I am appreciative of the organizers for choosing and prioritizing my topic. There are no words to describe how grateful I am for this chance.
Here is my session; enjoy.
Why This Topic Meant So Much to Me: It Happened in My Alma Mater, After All
It sounds funny, but in my undergraduate time, I felt worthless for the first time. Moving away from my parents, sisters, and friends to a new city and being questioned about my decisions was a difficult time for me. Back in university days, everyone tried to fit us in the same mold, but I believed from the core that there is not only one way to flourish in life; there must be thousands of ways.
And what I wanted one time, but I didn’t know how to get there; now I’m there. I am not talking about financial successes; I need to go far away for it. I’m talking about mental peace, finally finding the missing puzzles- how I want to do the rest of my life.
Interestingly, we’ve all gone through these phases at various points in life. We love doing something but end up pursuing something else as a main job or career choice. And as we have to let go of things we love but do not excel at, at a certain point in life, when we get frustrated by the choices we make, we forget there are certain other things that we used to love, and those could have created an impact on our lives if we had continued them.
Suppose, due to your academic results or career choices, you chose engineering to pursue. But you were good at designing stages, organizing events, singing songs, and all. If you enjoyed doing these but were not one of the top, then your surroundings would definitely push you to pursue them. Or maybe not. Over time, we forgot there was something that used to make you feel good.
But it’s all the things you love to do, used to love to do, that can have an impact on the life choices you make. All I’m trying to say is become the ‘jack of all trades’ in life. I will help you stay optimized and help you in the long run.
Just like I gathered anxiety and trauma from my alma mater, I also gained inspiration, love, and reasons to keep moving and believe in myself. So I know, in the university, or in job sectors, there are lots of people who are feeling what I used to feel. I wanted to give them a message:
Hey there, you are not alone. Keep believing in yourself and don’t stop what you are doing.
Here is my slide link:
What Went Well, What Didn’t & What I’ll Do Better Next Time
It wasn’t the first time I was speaking at a WordCamp, but I still felt a little bit worried. Mainly because of the topic I picked, there is a high chance that what I wanted to express couldn’t be expressed properly, and there was a time limit. I had to wrap up within 7 minutes due to a lag in the program’s timeframe. Also, consciously, I decided to speak in English.
No, I am not fluent in English, but I am keen to learn it more. What can be a better opportunity to talk in English than a WordCamp? During my last talk at WordCamp Pokhara 2025, I identified several areas for improvement, such as having slides that were too text-heavy, forgetting to take regular pauses, and occasionally speaking faster than necessary. But I didn’t want to stop what I was doing. So I delivered it in Bangla medium English.
I Received a Lot of Love And Appreciation for My Wordcamp Rajshahi Talk
While I was rehearsing my talk with my younger sister, I found out she was struggling with the situation I was going to describe in my talk – should she keep doing the voluntary work that is not related to her major or stop? Also, at the speaker’s welcome dinner party, while I was chitchatting with everyone, one of my close brothers from the WordPress community shared that he sees himself as the ‘jack of all trades’ but doesn’t know whether he should keep it up or stop.
These small conversations actually sparked my confidence; my talk session may inspire someone. Someone might find it useful.
Though this time I rushed a bit finishing my talk and forgot a lot of things I wanted to talk about, the handclaps from the audience made me feel better. After the session, so many of the attendees came to me to showcase their gratitude and wanted to learn how to get involved in WordPress contributions, how to manage jobs, volunteer side by side, and so on.
Thank you so much if you have attended my session or watched it live. Thanks to those who took a moment to talk with me in person. I am so grateful for these.
Learning for Next WordCamp Sessions
Interestingly, after a few days, when WordCamp Rajshahi was over, I rewatched some of the speakers’ talks that I had missed that day. One of the audience members referred to my session and quoted it: I said not to explore everything, but to stay in one line. But it was a completely different message that I delivered.
Then I walked with some of my teammates, and among them, one of them said that he felt the same. He thought my talk was about ‘not being a jack of all trades. I felt a little clueless, a little devastated, but I learned about the missing dots.
When I am not talking in my native language, it becomes tough for others to understand clearly. And they rely on the slides I showcased. From experience, I tried to keep my slide as clean and minimal as possible. From this session’s experience, I learned that I need to add proper identifiers and elements on the slide that will emphasize what I want to deliver.
Also, I prepared a lot of starter hooks that I forgot to deliver properly. I was feeling nostalgic on the stage at the same time. I had decorated the stage for various programs in my undergraduate years, as well as talked on this same stage. I wanted to express my gratitude but forgot to do that too.
I learned a lot from my own experience, both good and bad. Hopefully, I’ll be able to correct my mistakes next time.
Beyond the Talk: Old Memories, New Friends & Endless Conversations
WordCamps are always my favorite places to hang out. Here you can learn just by talking with amazing people. By now, I am blessed to have a lot of Bangladeshi WordCamp buddies with whom I am able to meet at these events. Like every other WordCamp chapter in my life, I get surprised by meeting new people and wonder why I didn’t find them before. This year I have also found some amazing personalities whom I adored a lot and will be cherishing for a long time.
I get to meet running students from my department, their eyes filled with the same frustrations and dreams that we once had. I also got to collect new perspectives, which were precious to me.
Another special thing happened: I attended this WordCamp with my new team, and the total tour was fully sponsored by my company. It really felt great to travel with my new work buddies, enjoying moments together and strengthening our bond. I’m grateful to our CEO, Md. Mahmudul Hasan; thank you for your kind gesture.
This WordCamp chapter became more special when my baby Aurora, my husband, and my best friend Shiku also joined me. Seeing Aurora running through all the alleys where I, Don, and Shiku spent hours and hours really made me emotional. I was so happy to show Aurora my own campus, where her parents spent their prime time.
Must say,
This Will Always Be My Most Memorable WordCamp Session.
Looking Forward to the Next WordCamp Adventure
Before starting a more emotional breakdown, let’s wrap up this blog here. Overall, WordCamp Rajshahi 2026 organizers and volunteers are to be thanked for pulling off such an amazing program. Must mention two highlights—organizing Gamvira live performance and distributing unlimited mangoes as snacks. Yumm Yumm.
This year, a few more WordCamps are going to happen, like WordCamp Sylhet, WordCamp Barishal, etc. I’ll try my best to attend all of these. Also, next year I am planning to attend some amazing WordCamps outside my country: WordCamp Nepal 2027, where my friend Alina is the lead organizer, and WordCamp Asia 2027, where I am the lead AX team organizer.
If you are attending any of these, then let’s plan to meet and greet. See you at the next WordCamp.
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