Anand Upadhyay receives the Yoast Care fund for his contribution to the WordPress community

Anand Upadhyay is a valuable contributor to the WordPress Community Team. His contributions are extremely valuable, which is why he was nominated for the Yoast Care fund by Destiny Kanno. Let’s learn more about this WordPress devotee who loves the community.

Nominator Destiny Kanno: “Anand has not only done incredible work in the past year but also for many years before that, ensuring that WordPress education is accessible to everyone. With the successful launch of WordPress Campus Connect last year and the newly established event series for WordPress Campus Connect, he continues to serve the youth in the WordPress community, empowering them to become proficient WordPress users. This is a significant boost in ensuring a sustainable future for WordPress.”

Let’s get to know Anand Upadhyay

Thank you for those kind words, Destiny! We’ll make sure Anand gets the appreciation he deserves, so let’s get to know him a bit better by asking a few questions about his work and passion for WordPress

Hi, Anand! How did you first discover WordPress, and why did you start contributing?

After completing my education in 2010, I joined a web development company where I initially worked with Joomla. Around that time, WordPress was evolving rapidly with new enhancements and capabilities. My boss, Nilesh Toshniwal, recognized this shift and encouraged me to move toward WordPress. I still remember the day he sat with me and explained the famous WordPress template hierarchy diagram. That was my first real introduction to WordPress.

As for contributing, I credit that inspiration to Rahul Bansal, founder of rtCamp. In 2017, I attended my first WordCamp in Ahmedabad, where Rahul gave a talk on how contributing to WordPress Core not only strengthens the project but also helps contributors grow their own skills. His words truly resonated with me. Later, during the same WordCamp’s Contributor Day, I submitted my very first Core patch, marking the start of my contribution journey.

The energy and enthusiasm of the WordPress community at WordCamp Ahmedabad also inspired me to start the WordPress Meetup group in my city, Ajmer, to bring that same spirit of learning and collaboration closer to home.

What’s one WordPress-related goal you have for this year?

Although there are only a few months left in the year, one thing I’m particularly focused on is getting more students involved with WordPress. Through initiatives like WordPress Campus Connect and local meetups in Ajmer, I aim to continue building pathways that enable students to acquire practical skills, contribute to projects, and feel confident stepping into the community.

On the side, I’m also continuing to work on growing the business, making sure we create solutions that genuinely help people succeed with WordPress. For me, it all comes back to the same idea: empowering more people to build, contribute, and grow.

What advice would you give to someone just starting with WordPress?

Start simple and don’t overthink it. Pick a small project, maybe a personal blog or a basic website, and use it to get comfortable with how WordPress works. Play around with themes and plugins, break things, fix them, and learn by doing.

There are a vast number of resources and tutorials available, so take it step by step and don’t feel pressured to learn everything at once. The more you experiment, the more confident you’ll get.

If you could shape the future of WordPress, what would it look like?

I’d love to see a future where WordPress continues to get easier for newcomers while staying powerful for advanced users. Simpler onboarding, a smoother user experience, and more built-in features could make it less intimidating for someone just starting.

At the same time, I’d like to see the community grow even more diverse and global, with students and young professionals discovering open source through WordPress. Their energy and fresh perspectives can keep the project innovative and dynamic. A future where product and community evolve together-that’s the WordPress I imagine.

Who is your WordPress mentor?

I don’t think I can point to just one person as my mentor. The truth is, my journey with WordPress has been shaped by many people along the way. Different individuals have guided me at various stages of my life. Some helped me take my very first steps with WordPress, others encouraged me to start contributing, and many still inspire me today with their dedication and spirit.

What stands out to me is that mentorship in WordPress doesn’t always come in a formal way. Sometimes it’s a talk at a WordCamp that sparks an idea, sometimes it’s a conversation at a meetup, and sometimes it’s simply observing how others contribute selflessly to the project. Each of those moments has been a kind of mentorship for me.

For me, that’s the beauty of this community. You’re never learning from just one person, but from a collective of people who share their knowledge, experience, and encouragement. And that collective spirit continues to push me forward.

Thank you for this interview, Anand, and for all of your contributions to the WordPress community! Do you know someone like Anand Upadhyay who also deserves to be in the spotlight? Visit our Yoast Care page and nominate them immediately.