This week we welcome Denny Perez (@dennyperez18) as our PyDev of the Week! Denny works at nventive and is very active in the Python community, including helping to organize PyCon itself. You can see what Denny is up to on Denny’s GitHub page.
Let’s take some time to get to know Denny better!
Can you tell us a little about yourself (hobbies, education, etc):
I’m a software QA analyst with an accounting degree and living in Montreal, Canada.
I recently completed a Bootcamp in Data Science.
I currently work at Nventive and volunteer at GitHub as a coordinator for GitHub-related events in Latin America, “GitHub ¡Presente! en Español”. I spend most of my spare time helping organize events such as conferences, Meetups, Tech interviews and creating documentation to make these processes simpler around Python. I am also the coordinator of an initiative called “Python en Español”, which aims to be a central place for the whole Spanish Speaking Python community.
As a mom of three children, I don’t have much time for hobbies, but when I’m not in front of the computer, I’m enjoying a good cup of coffee while watching tv shows on any streaming platform.
Why did you start using Python?
Python was the language that helped me get started in the world of technology.
I started learning Python because I saw that it was an easy language to learn and because it could help me solve some problems that I had by automating my daily tasks as a Software Quality Analyst.
What other programming languages do you know and which is your favorite?
At college, I learned other languages like Java, and as a beginner, it was a bit difficult for me to understand some of its structures. I learned a little of Swift for iOS development, and I believe this is a beautiful language, and I do not rule out using it in the future.
What projects are you working on now?
I recently completed a Data Science Bootcamp using Python. In this Bootcamp, I had the opportunity to learn and use the different tools for Data Science. For my final project, I developed a project using Pandas, Numpy and Matplotlib, for which I created an application on the Streamlit platform.
A couple of weeks ago, we finalized the PyCon US Charlas, the Spanish track talks at PyCon US, for which I am one of the organizers. Just this week, we started the planning for the 2022 online version of PyCon Latam.
Which Python libraries are your favorite (core or 3rd party)?
My favorite Python libraries are the ones that helped me in my Data Science learning process. These are Pytorch, Tensorflow, Matplotlib, Sciki-learn, Pandas and Numpy.
How did you get into conference organizing?
After I finished my college degree, I became interested in attending local meetups and events in my city. My first Tech conference was PyCon USA in 2018 in Cleveland. At this conference, I met many people working on growing communities and helping Open source projects.
At PyCon 2019, I approached a Latin community organizing a conference about Python in Latin America. I signed up to collaborate as a volunteer.
Next year, 2020, I talked about my interest in being part as an organizer, and that is where I began to organize the first conferences. Then I started organizing PyLadies (women in Python) groups and supporting community events like Meetups and virtual conferences.
At the moment, besides my participation as a co-organizer of PyCon Latam, I’m a co-organizer of the Python Chile community (where I helped to have the first PyCon Chile in 2021), and I’m also a co-organizer and co-founder of the first Chilean PyLadies chapter, PyLadies Santiago.
Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to organize a conference or volunteer?
My advice is to get involved in a community you care about and start doing small things as a volunteer. Look for events around you and let the organizers know you are interested in helping out. Communities and organizers are always looking for extra help.
Something vital is that you make clear the time you have available for the community because the community will be counting on you. It is important to start slow and look for more responsibility once you know you can handle your assignments. Remember you are helping, and we want you to have fun.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I was recently selected as a PSF Fellow member, and I would like to thank all the people who helped me get involved in building communities and Open Source collaborations. Thank you for all the learning and the support given as a community member, helping me continue growing professionally.
Thanks for doing the interview, Denny!
The post PyDev of the Week: Denny Perez appeared first on Mouse Vs Python.
