Welcome back to our interview series, where we chat with the passionate people behind the Collabora Online code. Collabora Online is made possible by the worldwide team, community, contributors and partners. Today, we’re sitting down with Maya Stephens, a software engineering intern whose journey began in a primary school code club and evolved into contributing to global open-source projects.
About Maya
Maya is a student and open-source contributor who balances her time between university lectures and software development. After diving deep into coding during the lockdown years, she found her way to Collabora through the local robotics community. When she isn’t refining hyperlink functionality or compiling code in the Cambridge office, you’ll likely find her masterminding a victory in a board game or playing Blood on the Clocktower with friends.
What first inspired you to get into tech? Do you remember your earliest experience?
I attended a code club at primary school in Year 5 and just continued from there. I learned a lot over lockdown, where I had access to a computer all day and found the motivation to code around my schoolwork. I really enjoyed the ability to create things while also developing new skills.
What does the philosophy of open source mean to you?
I like being able to support software that is available for anyone to use for free. There is also a great sense of personal achievement in it. I enjoy being able to look at specific features and say, “I did that!” and be proud of it.
You spent a lot of time working with us over the summer. Which feature are you most excited about right now?
Considering it was the focus of so much of my work over the summer, I feel obligated to say hyperlinks! That being said, Collabora Office for desktop is really cool; it makes it a lot easier for me to recommend the suite to other people.
How did you first hear about Collabora Online?
I heard about it through a (now) colleague talking about her work while she was volunteering at a robotics society I was part of.
What’s the best part of working at Collabora / contributing to the community?
As someone who had never worked in software before, I really appreciate the patience everyone had with me. There was a lot to learn and Collabora has been very supportive. Looking back, I realized some of the problems I encountered could have been solved even faster if I had just asked for help sooner!
What does a “day in the life” look like for you?
It changes depending on the time of year. During term time I attend lectures and spend the evenings with my friends, during the holidays I do work in the office during the day, then try to call friends in the evening, while meeting local friends in person at the weekend.
When you’re not at your desk, what are you passionate about?
I enjoy playing board games with friends as a way to spend quality time together. Recently, I’ve been playing a lot of Blood on the Clocktower!
Maya’s story shows how far a little curiosity and a supportive community can take a budding developer. She represents the next generation of developers who value accessibility, open collaboration, and the simple joy of being able to say, “I built that.” We can’t wait to see what she builds next!
