Ruby Hero Awards

Talks

Ruby Hero Awards

Coraline Ada Ehmke

@CoralineAda

Akira Matsuda

@amatsuda

7 more speakers

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#ruby-heroes

#community-engagement

#open-source

#ruby-community

#mentorship

Ruby Hero Awards

by Coraline Ada Ehmke, Akira Matsuda, Anika Lindtner, Laura Gaetano, Sara Regan, Koichi Sasada, Richard Schneeman, Avdi Grimm, and Charles Nutter

The Ruby Hero Awards, hosted annually at RailsConf, celebrates the contributions of lesser-known individuals in the Ruby community who have made impactful contributions. Organized by Richard Schneeman and a committee of past heroes, the event emphasizes the importance of recognizing those who enhance the community through their actions. Nominations are gathered from community members, focusing on individuals who have positively influenced others in their work as Ruby or Rails developers. In 2016, 454 nominations led to 133 nominees, showcasing the community's appreciation for their peers.

For the first time, nine new heroes were honored, breaking previous records of recognition. Key honorees included:
- Coraline Ada Ehmke: Recognized for her efforts in creating the Contributor Covenant, fostering inclusivity in open-source projects.
- Akira Matsuda: Honored for his organization of RubyKaigi and contributions to essential Ruby gems.
- Rails Girls team: Acknowledged for their significant fundraising to support women in programming, promoting inclusivity in coding.
- Koichi Sasada: Celebrated for his enhancements to Ruby's performance through improvements in garbage collection.
- Richard Schneeman: Comprised as a respected voice in the community for his articles addressing vital Ruby issues.
- Avdi Grimm: Honored for elevating Ruby developers through various platforms, including podcasts and books.
- Charles Nutter: Recognized for his pivotal role in the JRuby project, enhancing its adoption in enterprises.

The ceremony highlights the importance of kindness and the impact individuals can have on the community. It serves not only as a recognition event but also as a call to encourage participation and acknowledgment of those contributors who uplift others, reinforcing a spirit of camaraderie within the Ruby community.

Overall, the Ruby Hero Awards not only celebrate individual achievements but also aim to inspire others within the community to recognize and support each other, foster inclusivity, and continue making significant contributions to the Ruby ecosystem.

00:00:08.840 Hello everyone! Every year, we hold a special recognition event called the Ruby Heroes Awards. The purpose of this event is to honor some of the lesser-known individuals in the Ruby community who have made significant contributions. These are people who have done extraordinary work that has had a positive impact on others in the community. We feel it’s important to acknowledge their efforts.

00:00:17.970 We run this event on a website called RubyHeroes.com, usually at the beginning of each year. We invite community members to visit the site and nominate individuals who have positively impacted their lives as Ruby or Rails developers. We ask who has made it easier for you, created tools that help you in your work, shown kindness, or contributed to making the community better.

00:00:35.640 Since we started this initiative in 2008, we have recognized many wonderful people. Some are well-known figures, while others are less recognized. You may see some familiar faces that have gone on to achieve great things. This year, we received 454 nominations and 133 nominees, all of whom were recognized by their peers. A committee of 20 past heroes evaluated these nominations. Our goal is to minimize the aspect of popularity in the selection process and honor those who are genuinely making a difference.

00:01:08.740 This year, we are excited to announce nine new heroes, which is a record for us! In the past, we have recognized up to eight in a single year, but never this many. We’ll keep the presentations brief.

00:01:14.310 Before we start, I’d like to take a moment to thank those who helped us organize this event. First, thanks to Ruby Central for their assistance in making this event possible. It can be quite challenging to coordinate everything.

00:01:27.789 I also want to thank the Code School team for allowing us the time to prepare and work on this event every year. And finally, thank you to all of you. Your participation is vital, and it’s important to acknowledge when someone does something nice. Take the time to talk to those who make a difference.

00:01:35.959 Remember, encouraging others, especially in a gathering like this, can significantly boost their spirits during tough times. Now, let's dive into the awards. I’ll provide some quick instructions. We've tried hard to bring everyone here, and if someone isn't present, let’s give them a round of applause as they arrive.

00:02:06.590 I’ll also share a quote from the nominations to give you a sense of each nominee's impact. First up, we recognize Coraline Ada Ehmke for her tireless efforts in improving the open-source community, particularly for her work on the Contributor Covenant, which has been invaluable in fostering a more inclusive environment for everyone involved.

00:04:37.110 Next, we honor Akira Matsuda, a long-time contributor to Ruby and Rails. He organizes the RubyKaigi, a prominent Ruby conference in Tokyo, and is the author of several widely-used gems that have greatly benefitted the community.

00:05:59.119 Now, let's acknowledge the Rails Girls team, which has raised nearly half a million dollars over the past four years to support women in programming. This initiative has brought many into the world of coding and contributed to open-source projects.

00:06:10.240 We also celebrate Koichi Sasada for his significant contributions to improving the Ruby implementation. His work on garbage collection and overall performance improvements has had a substantial impact on the language.

00:06:27.300 Richard Schneeman is next, known for his insightful articles that address key issues in the Ruby community. His ability to focus on important topics while providing practical solutions makes him a highly respected member of our community.

00:07:12.009 Finally, we honor Avdi Grimm for his dedication to elevating Ruby developers through his work on podcasts, books, and community engagement. He has played a vital role in helping many developers improve their skills and become better practitioners.

00:08:52.030 And let's not forget Charles Nutter, who has been a driving force behind the JRuby project. His commitment to making JRuby faster and more efficient continues to enable enterprises around the globe to adopt Ruby as a viable programming language.

00:09:31.680 Thank you all for joining us today to celebrate these incredible individuals. Remember to keep being nice to those who enhance your life daily. Thank you!