Stoa Digest #100 : 💯 Big Win 💯

Big community magic in the little things.

The 100th Edition of the Stoa Digest, woohoo!🔥

What started as a simple newsletter to update you all about the Stoa community has now become a part of Stoan’s Chrome bookmark and starred email list. Every week, we have stories of Stoans taking pride, making noise all across the globe, and coming back to us to share those anecdotes.

Various editors and curators have made this Digest their sandbox to spill their tales and get their voices heard. Here are the OGs sharing their Digest memories with y’all.

When Shelton & I came up with the idea to write The Digest, I remember feeling very excited about writing and having people read it. Those first few weeks were the most validation I have ever gotten from a group of people reading words I'd thrown at a page. Sometimes(read: most times) I did feel like an imposter though, attempting to create content for people who were likely in higher positions than me, more tenured than me, and definitely had more experience.
And yet, somehow I got to.

Some of our greatest editorials ever were by graduating fellows, and I found immense joy in reaching out to fellows to get them to do it. The one-shot I had at being an editor in some form, and boy did I love to do it. I'd like to think I never edited anyone's work enough for them to think, "I hate her as an editor" - and if I did, sheesh am I sorry!!
The stuff that makes The Digest the digest - is not its editors, but the Stoans that contribute to it, with content - ranging from Discord chats to playlists & songs shared, to threads of conversation running and sparking conversations anew with topics you've discovered yourself in your own writing, learning and discovery journeys.

If you're reading this, and have ever wanted to read, write, contribute, and find yourself as a key part of something that holds up a community as sparkling as Stoa- JUST DO IT.
Write that thing. Find a way to add value, in whatever way you've found your niche in the Stoa World. It is the most endearing thing, to be a contributor to something while also making it highly personable and deeply coded with your own traits in writing. Until I find myself in a spot to be as cool a person as someone who wrote something as cool as a Stoa Digest, welcome to Edition #100, fellows! ✅

~Nicaia

Thinking back on my time as a community manager, the Stoa community continues to resonate deeply with me. The community nights, the meetups, and the stories of different people really fostered a sense of belonging, that still lingers. In essence, the Stoa community exemplifies the power of human connection and the beauty of shared experiences, and the digest was one way for us to tell those stories. I’m proud that I could play a part in that journey. 🌻

~Sonali

From going through super interesting to super random Discord conversations to doom-scrolling through the meme wars to knowing about a fellow, their careers, their mindset, and dreams, bringing this Digest to life every week is rewarding. For me, this Digest is a way to appreciate my community, its people, and all the beautiful relationships it fosters. Coming up with an interesting title and byline is what makes every Tuesday a new thrill for me.
Cheers to y’all for making this Digest and I hope you find your empowering space between these editions, just like I have. ✨

Pro tip: Life should be easy, peasy, lemon squeezy, not stressed, depressed, lemon zest :p- this is what I wrote in my first ever Digest, haha!

~Jahnavy

A 100 editions?! Wow, it's been quite a journey watching this community grow. I recently got the opportunity to start contributing to curating the digest and it's been one of the coolest during my time at Stoa. It's allowed me to dive into the community on a personal level and curate the stories of my fellows. The digest has evolved into a one-stop hub to learn, explore and grow to provide an immense amount of value to not just its readers but to myself as well. This is a project that I'm absolutely honored to be a part of.
Here's to the 100th edition and to 1000 more! 🌹

~Adi

It’s pretty cool to see 100 editions of this newsletter roll out, and the way its shape and form has evolved but the essence remain the same. This newsletter will always be about the people at Stoa, their stories and their triumphs, along with much needed sillyness that we need in our adult and professional lives. Years from now this will be a record of memories forgotten, of this weird thing that we all were a part of at a point in time.
Here’s to you, the Stoans, new and old who’ve been along for the ride!

Here’s to you, Nicaia, Sonali, Adi, Shriman, Jahnavy, Madhu, Barsha & Abhiram, for keeping the fire burning. 🔥

~Shelton

To many more weeks of absolute fun in writing and curating this Digest, GO TEAM! 🙌🏻

(Keep calm and keep scrolling, we have our very first Digest awaiting you XD)

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🐝 Community Buzz 🐝

The Stoa spirit is spreading all over India with our fellows planning and organizing fun meet-ups every weekend.
Delhi folks met for an evening of colors, paint, food, and music to get their creative juices flowing again. 🤘🏻

Keeping Bangalore folks away from a match screening is next to impossible. Be it rain, be it a windstorm, be it a postponed match, they still get together and jam to music over great food and good vibes. 🤙🏻

Gujarat Stoa gang is growing and they kicked off their first meetup. Keep it rolling while you are growing, folks! 🎯

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⏯ For the Digest by the Digest ⏯

• We started from here- Stoa Digest #1.

• To our most loved Digest- don’t forget to check out the resources.

• When our fellows took over the entire Digest ;)

• When Shelton spoke about what the Stoa community‘s essence is.

• A Digest for y’all to learn from.

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sayonara, fam!