Ada Lovelace Day 2010

24Mar10

A few weeks ago, I pledged to write a post for Ada Lovelace Day 2010, about a woman in technology who I admire.  Last year, I also published a blog post for ALD; back then it was about someone I knew only by reputation. This year, I’ve decided to make it much more personal. It’s about someone I know well, someone I admire immensely.

Last year was a very difficult year for me because I started a new job. It’s never easy going into a new environment and getting to know a new job, leaving behind good friends. It didn’t help that, at the beginning, I felt somewhat directionless.  Then I got to know my mentor, and that’s who this post is about – Dr Sarah Williamson, elearning champion at Cardiff University.

When I say mentor, I don’t mean just in the sense we often use in workplaces today (an experienced colleague, serving as advisor to new staff) because she has been so much more than that.  Sarah does give me excellent advice, but she has also supported me through difficult circumstances, encouraged me when I was anxious and counselled me when I was worried.  She is a friend, someone I trust, the person I have reached out to when faced with challenges in my work.

Sarah is, in my opinion, one of the unsung heroes.  She is friendly, approachable and hard-working; of all of my colleagues, she’s the one most likely to go above and beyond the call of duty.  In everything she undertakes, she does the best job she can, and she inspires that in others, encouraging honesty and integrity along the way.  She has offered me many valuable insights, including probably the biggest and best lesson I could be given as a learning technologist: to never underestimate the importance of putting pedagogy before technology.

This is a good opportunity to say thank you to Sarah, for everything she has done to support me, and for being there when I needed help the most.

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