Hilda Ramirez

Get to know Hilda 🎙️

Can you start by painting a picture of what a typical day looks like for you? What fuels your passion for the work you do, and how does it tie into your involvement with WCEU?

My typical day starts with a smile from my son. It is always a joy to see him get up in a good mood. I drive him to school and this part of the day energizes me, because sharing these moments with him is very important to me. After dropping him off at school, I devote myself to my work, which is divided between website building and activism. As for web development, I spend time designing and creating sites that reflect the vision and needs of clients. I enjoy the combination of creativity and technology that this work entails.

Regarding activism, I work on the right to citizenship for the children of immigrants, born and/or raised in Italy. I spend time planning initiatives and working with other activists to promote causes I believe in. This part of my job gives me a great sense of responsibility and makes me feel that I am contributing to a better world. The combination of these two aspects of my work fuels my passion. I love the flexibility that allows me to be there for my son while doing work that I am passionate about and that has a positive impact on society.

What sparked your interest in becoming a speaker at WCEU? Was there a particular moment or experience that motivated you to share your insights with this community?

My interest in becoming a speaker at WordCamp Europe (WCEU) stemmed from my experience as a volunteer at the 2023 edition in Athens. There I had the opportunity to see up close how vibrant and diverse the WordPress community is and this inspired me deeply. By participating as a volunteer, I was able to meet people from all over the world, all with different stories and paths, but united by the same passion for WordPress and its open source philosophy. This experience ignited in me the desire to share my struggle with people who I am sure share the same sensibility as me. I believe it is important to let people know that WordPress is indeed a powerful tool for nonviolent activism; it can be used to create sites and communities that promote positive change, raise awareness about social issues, and give a voice to those who often do not have one.

Participating in this event made me realize that even a small contribution, such as my volunteer work, can have a significant impact. It made me realize that there is always room to share knowledge and learn from others. This made me want to become a speaker so that I could tell my experience and encourage others to use WordPress as a tool for change. I hope that by sharing my experiences and vision, I can inspire others to harness the power of WordPress for nonviolent activism and contribute to a community that believes in the power of sharing and inclusion.

For those awaiting your talk, could you give us a preview of what we can expect to learn from your talk? Any sneak peeks?

I will talk about the more than 1 million youth and children born and/or raised in Italy who do not have Italian citizenship. I want to share personal experiences that led me to use WordPress in creative and meaningful ways to give voice to those who have no voice because of a law that is more than 30 years old and does not represent Italian social reality. 

Is it your first time at a WCEU or WordPress event? Any standout memories or lessons learned that you’d like to share?

As I said in the second question, this is not my first time attending a WCEU, but each time is a new excitement and I look forward to being there again this year!

Looking beyond the scheduled sessions, what do you hope attendees will take away from their overall experience at WCEU? How can they leverage the event to enhance their professional development or personal growth? 

Participating in a WCEU enriches you in many ways. It is not only about gaining technical and professional knowledge, but also about having a deep and meaningful human experience. On the one hand, WCEU offers the opportunity to learn from industry experts and discover new trends, tools and techniques related to WordPress. The scheduled sessions and workshops are a great opportunity to deepen your skills and gain new ideas to apply to your own work. On the other hand, the real value of WCEU lies in the people you meet and the relationships you build. Here you can connect with people from all over the world who share a passion for WordPress, exchanging stories, experiences and advice. These connections go beyond the technical aspect; they are human connections that enrich your worldview and allow you to see things from different perspectives.