LFX-2025[term 1] website migration blog

blog/authors.yml

@@ -26,3 +26,9 @@ wxnzb:
   title: Kmesh Contributor
   url: https://github.com/wxnzb
   image_url: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/149587405?v=4
+
+jayesh9747:
+  name: Jayesh Savaliya
+  title: Kmesh Maintainer
+  url: https://github.com/jayesh9747
+  image_url: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/123955234

blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+---
+title: "From Contributor to Maintainer: My LFX Mentorship Journey"
+authors:
+  - jayesh9747
+date: 2025-02-14
+sidebar_position: 2
+---
+
+### Introduction
+
+Hi everyone! I'm Jayesh Savaliya, a B.Tech student at IIIT Pune passionate about backend technologies and open source. Over the last two years, I've been selected for the C4GT program twice (2024 & 2025) - yes, they let me back in - and recently completed LFX Mentorship 2025 (Term 1), where I somehow went from fixing typos to being responsible for reviewing other people's code at Kmesh.
+
+In this blog, I'll share my journey and the strategies that actually worked (no generic "just be passionate" advice, I promise).
+
+---
+
+### My Background
+
+When I applied to LFX, I wasn't starting from scratch. I had already battle-tested myself with:
+- **Sunbird** (EkStep Foundation) via C4GT, where I learned that education tech is harder than it looks
+- **Mifos**, a GSoC organization focused on financial services (because debugging payment systems at 2 AM builds character)
+- Various backend projects where I definitely didn't break production. Much.
+
+#### Choosing Kmesh
+
+I shortlisted projects from the LFX portal based on three key criteria:
+1. **Tech stack relevance** - Technologies I wanted to master
+2. **Learning potential** - Projects that would challenge and grow my skills
+3. **Active maintainers** - Communities with responsive, helpful mentors
+
+I chose Kmesh, a high-performance service mesh data plane built on eBPF and programmable kernel technologies. Kmesh's sidecarless architecture eliminates proxy overhead, resulting in better performance and lower resource consumption.
+
+Honestly? It had "eBPF" in the description and I wanted to sound cool at tech meetups. But it turned out to be genuinely fascinating work with a great community.
+
+---
+
+### How to Succeed in Open Source Programs
+
+Here's my three-step approach that worked for LFX:
+
+#### 1. Make Meaningful Contributions
+
+Start small and scale up gradually. Don't be the person who says "I'll rewrite the entire architecture!" on day one.
+
+Instead:
+- **Weeks 1-2:** Fix typos, improve logs, update documentation
+- **Weeks 3-4:** Fix small bugs, add tests
+- **Week 5+:** Work on core features and refactoring
+
+This progression shows mentors you're not just throwing random PRs at the wall hoping something sticks.
+
+#### 2. Write a Strong Proposal
+
+Your proposal should be:
+- **Clear:** Explain your approach in straightforward language
+- **Structured:** Include a realistic timeline with milestones
+- **Convincing:** Demonstrate why you're the right person for the project
+
+Make sure your proposal reflects genuine engagement with the project, not just surface-level research.
+
+#### 3. Be Actively Involved
+
+Stay engaged in project channels (Slack, Discord, mailing lists). Communicate regularly with mentors, ask thoughtful questions, and contribute to discussions.
+
+But also: don't be *that* person who asks questions Google could answer or pings everyone at 3 AM with "quick question." Balance is everything.
+
+**The Formula:** Consistent contributions + Strong proposal + Active communication = Standing out
+
+---
+
+### The Path to Maintainership
+
+Becoming a maintainer wasn't planned. It happened naturally through sustained engagement after the mentorship period ended.
+
+#### Consistency
+
+I continued contributing regularly after my initial PRs were merged:
+- Fixing overlooked bugs
+- Adding requested features
+- Refactoring code for better maintainability
+
+#### Learning Mindset
+
+I embraced every learning opportunity, even when I had no idea what I was doing. eBPF concepts? Started clueless, ended slightly less clueless. Performance optimization? Learned by making things slower first. CI/CD improvements? Broke the build a few times, but now I own it.
+
+#### Patience & Feedback
+
+Code reviews can be humbling (read: brutal). I learned to take feedback seriously even when it stung, iterate quickly, and stay patient when things inevitably broke.
+
+#### Taking Initiative
+
+I started acting like a maintainer before having the title:
+- Suggesting project improvements
+- Writing comprehensive tests (because flaky tests are the worst)
+- Automating repetitive tasks (laziness is a virtue in programming)
+- Reviewing other contributors' work
+
+By the end of my mentorship, the trust I built with the team led to being granted maintainer access. Going from "hey, can I fix this typo?" to "you're now responsible for reviewing PRs" was equal parts surreal and terrifying.
+
+---
+
+### Key Takeaways
+
+Here's what I learned that might help you:
+
+**Start small, stay consistent** - Begin with simple contributions and build from there. Consistency matters more than individual genius.
+
+**Focus on learning** - Getting selected is great, but learning enough to make real contributions is what counts.
+
+**Communicate effectively** - Ask questions, share progress, and be helpful. Respectful, clear communication goes a long way.
+
+**Suggest improvements** - If you see something that could be better, speak up. Good ideas are always welcome.
+
+**Embrace feedback** - Your first PR won't be perfect. Nobody's is. Take feedback as learning opportunities, iterate, and move on. Arguing about semicolons is not a productive use of anyone's time.
+
+You don't need to be a genius. You just need to show up, contribute meaningfully, and improve consistently.
+
+---
+
+### Final Thoughts
+
+The LFX Mentorship taught me more than just technical skills. I learned how to work with distributed teams across timezones, think critically about production software (logs are your friends!), and grow into a leadership role in an open source community.
+
+If you're considering applying to LFX or any open source program, take the leap. With consistent effort and genuine engagement, you can make a real impact. If I can go from nervous first-time contributor to maintainer, so can you.
+
+---
+
+### Connect With Me
+
+Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss open source, eBPF, or systems programming:
+
+- [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jayesh-savaliya)
+- [GitHub](https://github.com/jayesh9747)
+
+Thanks for reading, and see you in the next PR!