Sumaiya Nalukwago
First Name: Sumaiya
Last Name: Nalukwago
Twitter Profile link: https://x.com/NKSumaiya
Other Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumaiya-nalukwago
Bio
Sumaiya has been a pivotal force in organizing PyCon Uganda since 2023, where she also had the honor of delivering the State of the Community address in 2024 and leading the Community Day. This demonstrates her deep commitment to fostering local tech ecosystems.
Additionally, with leadership roles as a Women Techmakers Ambassador and GDG Cloud Community Lead, she champions inclusivity and creates impactful tech communities. While at MUST, Sumaiya blazed a trail as the first female Lead of the Google Developer Student Club, fostering a vibrant community for students to learn and develop using Google technologies. This dedication to inclusivity extends to her current role as Community Lead for Google Developer Groups Cloud & Women TechMakers Mbarara. Sumaiya is a true champion for building diverse and thriving tech communities where everyone can succeed.
On her YouTube channel, Tech Over with Sumaiya, she shares valuable insights on navigating the non-coding side of tech.
Sumaiya's dedication to fostering inclusive tech communities has garnered international recognition. In 2023, she was nominated for the prestigious Women Tech Network Global Awards, reaching the top 10 finalists out of over 2100 participants in the Women in Tech Community Category. She was also recognized by the US Embassy in Uganda for her dedication to technology in March 2024.
Accepted Talks:
Mastered python but still stuck? The hidden power of soft skills in your codebase.
Your Python code might be brilliant, passing every test and adhering to best practices, yet some projects still feel stuck, or teams struggle to truly gel. What if the most persistent "bugs" in your development process aren't found in your Traceback but in the human interactions that shape your codebase?
This talk will detail into this often-overlooked reality, exploring why mastering people skills is the ultimate next level for any Pythonista aiming for greater impact and career satisfaction. We will get to examine the hidden costs of poor communication and a lack of empathy, and uncover how these "soft" skills are, in fact, foundational for robust technical outcomes and a thriving development culture.
This session is tailored for mid-level and aspiring Python developers, team leads, open-source contributors, and community organizers who are eager to transcend pure technical mastery. When you leave this talk, you won't just understand why soft skills matter, but how to actively cultivate them.
Attendees will gain actionable strategies for transforming their approach to collaboration, delivering impactful feedback without friction, and navigating interpersonal dynamics that often stall projects. The goal is to equip you with the toolkit to build not just better code, but stronger, happier, and more productive teams and communities.
Drawing on practical insights from my experience organizing PyCon Uganda and leading GDG Cloud Mbarara and Women Techmakers Mbarara, we will cover core areas essential for this "soft skills revolution."
Expect to explore techniques for empathetic code reviews that build rather political morale, strategies for crystal-clear communication that eliminates misunderstandings in distributed teams, and methods for fostering truly inclusive communities where every Pythonista feels empowered.
This talk is about igniting your personal growth and enabling you to become a more well-rounded, influential, and successful contributor to the global Python ecosystem.