[ad_1] Questo saggio è disponibile anche in italiano. I was first introduced to WordPress when I was 13 years old. My parents had the idea to give me my very own WordPress website. I was able to use, play, test, and try whatever I wanted with it. My First Encounter With WordPress While the technical aspects of my new WordPress website intrigued me, I was more interested in the space it made for me to write. All throughout my childhood I had struggled with chronic pain, fatigue, and other unexplained symptoms. Having a private world I could call my own, I was able to write my story. And there is something truly amazing about having a place to tell your story. When doctors, nurses, specialists, and the best hospitals I could go to struggled to find answers for me and my parents, I felt like my life and world were out of control. But logging onto my little website and typing away on the computer keys gave me a sense of control. I couldn’t always do things that other kids had the energy to do. But I could get lost in writing for hours. I couldn’t control my life story, but I could write about it. It felt like writing letters to my future self, “Look at what you went through, look how strong you were.” And even now, when I go on, I feel like I’m writing letters to my past self, “Look at you, look how you made it.” WordPress In The Real World I swear I thought that when I grew up, that I’d be healthy. I thought that “unhealthiness” was a part of being a kid. Something as terrible as having a bedtime, or having to eat carrots. And like most kids, I couldn’t wait to be a grown up so that I could stay up as late as I wanted, never eat carrots again, and— be healthy. But growing up didn’t change that. In fact, my condition grew slowly worse as years went by. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a decade later at 18 years old. I realized that I couldn’t handle a 9-5 work schedule, I couldn’t drive to a job on some days (shout-out to my mom for driving me) and I knew deep down that I would need to find another way to work. I began writing music and book reviews online. I wrote blog posts. They were getting published and I was getting paid too. WordPress felt familiar, typing on the computer keys felt comfortable, and sharing my words with the world felt surreal. I think I believed WordPress was mine somehow. I was learning that WordPress is something that belongs to everyone in some way. And I loved it. My WordPress Job at Valet The thing I love about WordPress is that it’s not just for developers or bloggers or SEO experts. I began to meet more people in the community and was delighted to find people like me, who didn’t know the technical stuff, but were a part of WordPress. There were social media managers, there were designers, there was a place for everyone. And the community felt as important as the rest of everything that makes WordPress what it is. It felt like it was about people and relationships as well as codes and databases. I was hired at Valet in 2020 thanks to my relationships with people, in this case, my very own dad. I like being a part of a WordPress company, and I love that I contribute to a team that helps people with their websites. I understand the importance of having a space that’s yours. Whether it’s a business or personal site, having a website gives you the power of telling your own story. I didn’t have to work 9-5 jobs, or have my mom drive me to work, I didn’t have to worry about days when I needed to just stay in sweats. I have a 100% remote job which I can do despite the plot twists in my story, thanks to WordPress and the people in it. Welcomed Into The WordPress Community Kimberly Lipari was the first person to repeatedly tell me that I was really indeed a part of the WordPress community. It felt unreal. I wasn’t a dev, I don’t know how to code, and yet I got to be a part of it all? I felt like I was a fake. But she continues to remind me that I’m real, I get to be here, I get to stay, I have a place. When Michelle Frechette told me I could contribute to Big Orange Heart, I was honored. I was typing my words, pieces of my story, and sharing them with a community of people. And when Topher contacted me to write my WordPress Story for HeroPress I could only say yes. I could go on and on, this community is not perfect, but everyone here is constantly working to be better and do better. My WordPress Story I’m proud and grateful to be sharing my story today. I hope that maybe it can be a letter to anyone out there thinking, “I won’t make it.” I hope that it will remind anyone reading this that WordPress is a space for everyone. Healthy or not, developer or not, blogger or not— WordPress belongs to you too. I hope most of all that my story can somehow remind you that your story is important. Sono stata introdotta a WordPress per la prima volta quando avevo 13 anni. I miei genitori hanno avuto l’idea di darmi un sito WordPress personale, tutto mio. Cosi potevo usarlo, provare e riprovare, o fare quello che volevo. Nessuno di noi sapeva l’importanza che WordPress avrebbe nel mio futuro. Il mio primo incontro con WordPress Mentre gli aspetti tecnici del mio nuovo sito Web WordPress mi hanno incuriosita, ero più interessata nel fatto che ha creato uno spazio per scrivere. Per tutta la mia
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