blog: What Becoming a GraphQL Ambassador at 17 Taught Me

src/pages/blog/2026-09-27-what-becoming-a-graphql-ambassador-at-17-taught-me/index.mdx

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+---
+title: "What Becoming a GraphQL Ambassador at 17 Taught Me"
+tags: ["community", "events", "ambassador-stories"]
+date: 2026-09-27
+byline: "Ayush More"
+---
+
+> The following story was written by Ambassador Ayush More, looking back
+> on the first months in the GraphQL Ambassador Program.
+> GraphQL Ambassadors are trusted go-to community leaders
+> driven by a passion for GraphQL projects, striving
+> to nurture the growing GraphQL community through collaboration,
+> education and outreach. Find out more about the [Ambassador Program in the community pages](https://graphql.org/community/ambassadors/).
+
+When I got the email saying I was accepted as a GraphQL Ambassador, I had to read it a few times before I believed it. I was 17, sitting at home in Mumbai, and I was now part of the GraphQL Foundation's Ambassador program. I was really happy, and honestly a bit shocked.
+
+Once I actually started, I learned a few things pretty fast.
+
+## How I got here
+
+I made my first open source contribution when I was 16. It was a small docs fix on Meshery, a CNCF project. I had no idea what I was doing, and half of my PR description was me saying sorry in case I got something wrong. The maintainers still replied and gave me feedback, so I kept contributing.
+
+Over time I contributed to 7 CNCF projects. I became an Org Member at PipeCD and got a CNCF Travel Scholarship. Slowly, I started to feel like I belonged there.
+
+CNCF is huge, though. There are more than 200 projects, and it takes months just to understand how everything fits together. I wanted to be part of a smaller community too.
+
+GraphQL felt like that. The Foundation is small enough that you can get to know the people. The spec work takes its time, and people ask hard questions about how APIs should be designed. I liked that a lot.
+
+So when the Ambassador program opened up, I applied, and I got in.
+
+## Learning how GraphQL works
+
+Being an Ambassador doesn't mean you already know how to contribute to the project. I learned that quickly.
+
+I thought my CNCF experience would carry over, but every community works in its own way. In GraphQL, a lot of the work happens in [working groups](https://graphql.org/community/contribute/development/). The future of the spec is discussed in open meetings that anyone can join. I was used to just opening a PR and seeing what happens, so this took some getting used to.
+
+I was an Ambassador for a while before I made my first real contribution to a GraphQL repo. Knowing how a project works on the inside takes time. I'm still learning it.
+
+## What I didn't tell people
+
+When I got in, I told people I was now part of the GraphQL Foundation. I didn't mention that I was also googling "what is a working group", trying to figure out what TSC means, and reading the spec for the first time wondering why it looked nothing like normal docs. I felt like someone who walked into the wrong classroom and decided to stay.
+
+## What I do day to day
+
+Most of it is pretty normal stuff.
+
+I join TSC calls and listen, even when I don't understand everything yet. I read working group notes to learn how decisions get made. I made a short video series on LinkedIn to explain GraphQL to people who only know it as a query language. I also write blog posts to help people who are new to GraphQL.
+
+Sometimes it also means standing at a booth in a GraphQL t-shirt, or showing people their first GraphQL query on a live call.
+
+## At the GraphQL booth at APIdays India
+
+<figure className="mx-auto mt-6 max-w-2xl">
+  ![GraphQL Ambassadors and community members at the GraphQL booth at APIdays India][apidays-india-team]
+</figure>
+
+In August I was at the [GraphQL Day booth at APIdays India](/day/2026/bengaluru) in Bengaluru. A year ago, I would have laughed if someone told me this would happen.
+
+I wore a pink "Ask me about GraphQL" t-shirt and brought a stack of cheatsheets. I didn't know how many people would stop by, but the booth stayed busy the whole time.
+
+<div className="mx-auto max-w-2xl mt-6 grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 gap-3">
+  <figure className="mx-auto w-72">
+    ![At the GraphQL booth at APIdays India][apidays-india-booth]
+  </figure>
+  <figure className="mx-auto w-72">
+    ![GraphQL cheatsheets and stickers on the booth table][apidays-india-cheatsheets]
+  </figure>
+</div>
+
+I talked to a lot of developers and answered their questions. Some of them were seeing GraphQL schemas for the first time. Some had never heard of GraphQL at all, and still left with stickers and questions about how to get started.
+
+I also had some really good conversations in the hallways between sessions.
+
+Eeshaan Sawant, another Ambassador, is the one who told me to come to APIdays India. I almost said no. I'm glad I didn't, because it was one of the best days of my year.
+
+## My first talk at GraphQL Virtual
+
+<figure className="mx-auto mt-6 max-w-2xl">
+  ![Speaker spotlight for GraphQL End to End: Your First Query in 20 minutes][graphql-virtual-talk]
+</figure>
+
+A month later, I gave my first online talk. On September 22, Eeshaan and I spoke at the GraphQL Foundation Virtual Meetup. Our talk was called "GraphQL End to End: Your First Query in 20 minutes". We showed complete beginners how to write their first GraphQL query, live, from scratch.
+
+It was my first time explaining GraphQL live to people from all over the world, and I was pretty nervous. The talk was for people who are curious about GraphQL but don't know where to start. Not long ago, that was me.
+
+## The people who helped
+
+The thing that surprised me most was how friendly everyone was.
+
+Benjie helped me understand how the Foundation works behind the scenes, and always replied quickly when I had questions. Martin has been my go-to person for anything about GraphQL events. Jem helped me understand what good community content looks like and how to write it.
+
+Everyone I've talked to here has been happy to help. That helped a lot at the start, when I was reading the same docs again and again hoping I got it right.
+
+## What is next
+
+I want to keep representing GraphQL, both in India and at events around the world.
+
+India has a huge developer community, and a lot of it is students. Not many of them are part of the GraphQL community yet. I want to help build a GraphQL student community in India and help more people learn about GraphQL, starting in my own city, Mumbai.
+
+I plan to give more talks, make more content, and go to more conferences and meetups.
+
+I'm still learning how things work here. If you're new too, you don't need to know everything before you start.
+
+[apidays-india-team]: ./apidays-india-team.jpg
+[apidays-india-booth]: ./apidays-india-booth.jpg
+[apidays-india-cheatsheets]: ./apidays-india-cheatsheets.jpg
+[graphql-virtual-talk]: ./graphql-virtual-talk.png