At PyCon JP 2026, we will host an invited talk featuring members of PyLadies who have helped foster Python communities around the world.
Soojin Yoon (Luna) from PyLadies Seoul and Maaya Ishida from PyLadies Tokyo will share their experiences and insights on how to find people to start community activities with, how to sustain a community over time, and how to create a welcoming environment where everyone can participate with confidence.
We also plan to welcome Carol Willing, a co-organizer of PyLadies San Diego and a keynote speaker at PyCon JP 2026, as a special guest.
Through the perspectives of three people involved in community building in Seoul, Tokyo, and San Diego, we will explore what matters most when growing Python communities and passing them on to the next generation.
The topics covered in this session are not limited to PyLadies. They include challenges and ideas that are common to many different communities. We warmly invite not only current community organizers, but also those who are considering starting a community, those who support community activities, and anyone interested in creating spaces where people can participate safely and comfortably.
Date and time: Saturday, August 22, 12:00–12:45
Venue: Phoenix Hall
Below are the biographies and profiles of the two invited speakers.
Soojin Yoon（Luna）
Soojin Yoon (Luna) is a Python and Django backend engineer with over 5 years of experience. Having started her programming journey at 42 Seoul, she currently works at SocraAI (formerly Riiid), where she develops backend systems for an AI-driven English learning platform.
Deeply committed to local and global developer communities, she serves as an organizer for PyLadies Seoul, Women in Cloud, and DjangoKR. Within the open-source ecosystem, she is an Individual Member of the Django Software Foundation (DSF), an active participant in the DjangoNauts Space, and contributes to the Django project.
Luna actively shares her knowledge and technical insights on global stages. Her speaking background includes PyCon KR (2023, 2026), PyCon APAC Tokyo (2023 LT), PyCon US (2024 LT), and serving as a workshop facilitator for AWS Community Day (2025).
Maaya Ishida
Maaya Ishida is involved in organizing the Python community as a director of the PyCon JP Association and a staff member of PyLadies Tokyo.
As an Ops Engineer, she has gained extensive experience in areas including CI/CD, automating documentation publishing, visualizing workflow and monitoring processes, and improving the execution efficiency of batch systems.
During this journey, she attended PyLadies Tokyo Meetup #1, where she encountered Python for the first time. She currently works at Microsoft Japan as a presales engineer.
In recognition of her contributions to the Python community, she was selected as one of the inaugural recipients of the Outstanding PyLady Award in 2024.
Her motto is “Life is improv.”