What did you learn about epistemology?
On May 16, 2019, at 1:21 PM, Sati Houston <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> After almost 5 years at WMF, I’ve decided to move on from the Foundation.
> My last day will be June 4th.
>
> These last few years have been an unexpected journey. When Anasuya Senguta
> and Jessie Wild recruited me in 2014, I didn't know what awaited me. I
> didn't know that I could learn so much about epistemology, power,
> resilience, and community in such a short period of time. I couldn't know
> how indelibly I would change - in my perspectives, my approaches, and my
> beliefs.
>
> But I have learned *so much*. From the countless conversations I've had and
> observed. From working with hundreds of staff and volunteers to understand
> different community needs
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Capacity_Development>[1], build new
> tools <https://eventmetrics.wmflabs.org/>[2], reflect
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Strategy/Wikimedia_Foundation_grantmaking_review/Intro>[3]
> on
> current programs, understand the breadth and depth of our gaps
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gender_equity_report_2018>[4], understand
> our longer-term impact <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Impact>[5],
> and find the path forward.
>
> And because we are Wikimedia, it's unsurprising that I leave having learned
> the limits of my own knowledge, the power of collective discourse
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensemaking>[6], and the weight of my own
> power and privilege in seeing systemic, cultural change happen.
>
> This journey honestly wasn’t an easy ride. I laughed and cried, triumphed
> and despaired, argued and made up; I felt supported and isolated, powerful
> and powerless. I saw the tremendous beauty that Wikimedia creates and the
> long road still to come.
>
> But despite the rough ride, when I think back on my time here I will always
> treasure the kaleidoscope of small moments that brought me joy: grammar
> advice from Asaf, introducing Felix to Korean food, learning that many of
> you are artists or musicians or poets, learning wikitext (yes, I actually
> enjoyed that), dancing until my feet hurt, learning to love karaoke,
> impromptu lunches and dinners, and many *many* walks and virtual coffee
> chats.
>
> So thank you all for sharing your wisdom, humor, and time with me. Thank
> you Wikimedia for being a place that I could grow and learn. I will still
> be around on the interwebs (and in San Francisco if you ever are in town),
> and look forward to watching how you grow.
>
> For now, I leave you with this quote:
>
> "In a complex, technological world, most of us are experts at something.
> More importantly, being a true expert means having a healthy dose of
> humility. If you have really studied something and really gone deep into
> how it works, then you should come away knowing how much you don't know. *In
> a sense, that is the real definition of an expert — knowing the limits of
> one's own knowledge.*" - Adam Frank, National Public Radio [7]
>
> With much love,
> Sati
>
> [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Capacity_Development
> [2] https://eventmetrics.wmflabs.org/
> [3]
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Strategy/Wikimedia_Foundation_grantmaking_review/Intro
> [4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gender_equity_report_2018
> [5] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Impact
> [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensemaking
> [7]
> https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/04/07/522992390/why-expertise-matters
>
> --
>
> Sati Houston
> Senior Strategist, Grants
> Wikimedia Foundation <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>
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