The Sauce Labs Open Source fellowship is a six month program that introduces beginners to the full open source life cycle of a project from user research to deployment. Esther Cotton, one of the five fellows, has been learning new skills such as Java, Python, C#, Selenium, and Git commands, and collaborating with the team and mentors. She emphasizes the importance of having a proactive approach to learning and being open to continuous growth and improvement. Despite feeling overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge she needs to acquire, Esther finds solace in using multiple resources like Google, YouTube, and documentation to learn new things. The program has been rewarding for her as she solves problems and figures out new concepts, and also collaborates with fellow fellows and mentors. Ultimately, Esther has learned to prioritize her health while pursuing her goals, and is grateful for the opportunity to be part of this program.