diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4032c66543..b145bc50cd 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -132,3 +132,6 @@ storybook-static/
 
 /**/.yarn/cache
 .swc
+
+# ignore local ssl certs
+certs/
diff --git a/RELEASE.rst b/RELEASE.rst
index f747401899..91564b212f 100644
--- a/RELEASE.rst
+++ b/RELEASE.rst
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 Release Notes
 =============
 
+Version 0.30.1
+--------------
+
+- Remove imports for builtin django User model (#2012)
+- track additional browse events in posthog (#2011)
+- Update dependency faker to v35 (#1996)
+- Fix support for hardware accelerated embedding generation via ollama (#2008)
+
 Version 0.30.0 (Released February 06, 2025)
 --------------
 
diff --git a/channels/api.py b/channels/api.py
index 4ecd51cfd5..8dcfd44d6f 100644
--- a/channels/api.py
+++ b/channels/api.py
@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
 """API for channels"""
 
-from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, User
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+from django.contrib.auth.models import Group
 from django.db import transaction
 
 from channels.constants import CHANNEL_ROLE_CHOICES, CHANNEL_ROLE_MODERATORS
 from channels.models import Channel, ChannelGroupRole
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
+
+    User = get_user_model()
+
 
 def create_channel_groups_and_roles(
     channel: Channel,
@@ -31,14 +38,14 @@ def get_role_model(channel: Channel, role: str) -> ChannelGroupRole:
     return ChannelGroupRole.objects.get(channel=channel, role=role)
 
 
-def add_user_role(channel: Channel, role: str, user: User):
+def add_user_role(channel: Channel, role: str, user: "User"):
     """
     Add a user to a channel role's group
     """
     get_role_model(channel, role).group.user_set.add(user)
 
 
-def remove_user_role(channel: Channel, role: str, user: User):
+def remove_user_role(channel: Channel, role: str, user: "User"):
     """
     Remove a user from a channel role's group
     """
@@ -51,7 +58,7 @@ def get_group_role_name(channel_id: int, role: str) -> str:
     return f"channel_{channel_name}_{role}"
 
 
-def is_moderator(user: User, channel_id: int) -> bool:
+def is_moderator(user: "User", channel_id: int) -> bool:
     """
     Determine if the user is a moderator for a channel (or a staff user)
     """
diff --git a/channels/views.py b/channels/views.py
index 2fc2114211..331fbe84e2 100644
--- a/channels/views.py
+++ b/channels/views.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import logging
 
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.db.models import Prefetch
 from django.utils.decorators import method_decorator
 from django_filters.rest_framework import DjangoFilterBackend
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ def get_queryset(self):
         """
         Build a queryset of relevant users with moderator permissions for this channel
         """
+        User = get_user_model()
+
         channel_group_name = get_group_role_name(
             self.kwargs["id"],
             CHANNEL_ROLE_MODERATORS,
@@ -190,6 +192,8 @@ class ChannelModeratorDetailView(APIView):
 
     def delete(self, request, *args, **kwargs):  # noqa: ARG002
         """Remove the user from the moderator groups for this website"""
+        User = get_user_model()
+
         user = User.objects.get(username=self.kwargs["moderator_name"])
         remove_user_role(
             Channel.objects.get(id=self.kwargs["id"]), CHANNEL_ROLE_MODERATORS, user
diff --git a/channels/views_test.py b/channels/views_test.py
index 02a71ecd4f..705312fcdd 100644
--- a/channels/views_test.py
+++ b/channels/views_test.py
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 from math import ceil
 
 import pytest
-from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, User
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
+from django.contrib.auth.models import Group
 from django.urls import reverse
 
 from channels.api import add_user_role
@@ -26,6 +27,8 @@
 
 pytestmark = pytest.mark.django_db
 
+User = get_user_model()
+
 
 def test_list_channels(user_client):
     """Test that all channels are returned"""
diff --git a/docs/how-to/embeddings.md b/docs/how-to/embeddings.md
index 7b4958aa7d..b40b0b3cbd 100644
--- a/docs/how-to/embeddings.md
+++ b/docs/how-to/embeddings.md
@@ -52,17 +52,17 @@ To get setup:
 
 ```
 QDRANT_ENCODER=vector_search.encoders.litellm.LiteLLMEncoder
-LITELLM_API_BASE=http://docker.for.mac.host.internal:11434
+LITELLM_API_BASE=http://docker.for.mac.host.internal:11434/v1/
 QDRANT_DENSE_MODEL=<ollama model name>
 ```
 
-_Note_ - "LITELLM_API_BASE=http://docker.for.mac.host.internal:11434" is Mac specific - if you are using another OS you will need to figure out what your host machine's docker address is.
+_Note_ - "LITELLM_API_BASE=http://docker.for.mac.host.internal:11434/v1/" is Mac specific - if you are using another OS you will need to figure out what your host machine's docker address is.
 
 Sample .env file configuration on Mac:
 
 ```
 QDRANT_ENCODER=vector_search.encoders.litellm.LiteLLMEncoder
-LITELLM_API_BASE=http://docker.for.mac.host.internal:11434
+LITELLM_API_BASE=http://docker.for.mac.host.internal:11434/v1/
 QDRANT_DENSE_MODEL=all-minilm
 ```
 
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/ChannelPage/TopicChannelTemplate.tsx b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/ChannelPage/TopicChannelTemplate.tsx
index 297a1f9f70..e30ecd4727 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/ChannelPage/TopicChannelTemplate.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/ChannelPage/TopicChannelTemplate.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import { propsNotNil, backgroundSrcSetCSS } from "ol-utilities"
 import invariant from "tiny-invariant"
 import backgroundSteps from "@/public/images/backgrounds/background_steps.jpg"
 import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const ChildrenContainer = styled.div(({ theme }) => ({
   paddingTop: "40px",
@@ -79,14 +80,18 @@ const BannerSkeleton = styled(Skeleton)(({ theme }) => ({
 }))
 
 type TopicChipsInternalProps = {
-  title: string
   topicId: number
   parentTopicId: number
+  isTopLevelTopic: boolean
 }
 
 const TopicChipsInternal: React.FC<TopicChipsInternalProps> = (props) => {
   const posthog = usePostHog()
-  const { title, topicId, parentTopicId } = props
+  const { topicId, parentTopicId, isTopLevelTopic } = props
+  const title = isTopLevelTopic ? "Subtopics" : "Related Topics"
+  const posthogEvent = isTopLevelTopic
+    ? PostHogEvents.SubTopicClicked
+    : PostHogEvents.RelatedTopicClicked
   const subTopicsQuery = useLearningResourceTopics({
     parent_topic_id: [parentTopicId],
   })
@@ -106,7 +111,7 @@ const TopicChipsInternal: React.FC<TopicChipsInternalProps> = (props) => {
             href={topic.channel_url ?? ""}
             onClick={() => {
               if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-                posthog.capture("related_topic_link_clicked", { topic })
+                posthog.capture(posthogEvent, { topic })
               }
             }}
             label={topic.name}
@@ -127,24 +132,17 @@ const TopicChips: React.FC<TopicChipsProps> = (props) => {
     return null
   }
   const isTopLevelTopic = topic?.parent === null
+  const parentTopicId = isTopLevelTopic ? topic.id : topic?.parent
 
-  if (isTopLevelTopic) {
+  if (parentTopicId) {
     return (
       <TopicChipsInternal
-        title="Subtopics"
         topicId={topic.id}
-        parentTopicId={topic.id}
+        parentTopicId={parentTopicId}
+        isTopLevelTopic={isTopLevelTopic}
       />
     )
-  } else if (topic?.parent) {
-    return (
-      <TopicChipsInternal
-        title="Related Topics"
-        topicId={topic.id}
-        parentTopicId={topic?.parent}
-      />
-    )
-  } else return null
+  }
 }
 
 type SubTopicBreadcrumbsProps = {
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/DepartmentListingPage/DepartmentListingPage.tsx b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/DepartmentListingPage/DepartmentListingPage.tsx
index 75676157c5..5b69ee7078 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/DepartmentListingPage/DepartmentListingPage.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/DepartmentListingPage/DepartmentListingPage.tsx
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import backgroundSteps from "@/public/images/backgrounds/background_steps.jpg"
 import { aggregateProgramCounts, aggregateCourseCounts } from "@/common/utils"
 import { useChannelCounts } from "api/hooks/channels"
 import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const SCHOOL_ICONS: Record<string, React.ReactNode> = {
   // School of Architecture and Planning
@@ -155,7 +156,9 @@ const SchoolDepartments: React.FC<SchoolDepartmentProps> = ({
                   new URL(department.channel_url).pathname
                 }
                 onClick={() => {
-                  posthog.capture("department_link_clicked", { department })
+                  posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.DepartmentLinkClicked, {
+                    department,
+                  })
                 }}
               >
                 <ListItemText
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/HomePage/BrowseTopicsSection.tsx b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/HomePage/BrowseTopicsSection.tsx
index ed4af8a188..88ef1a5fb5 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/HomePage/BrowseTopicsSection.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/HomePage/BrowseTopicsSection.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import { ButtonLink } from "@mitodl/smoot-design"
 import { useLearningResourceTopics } from "api/hooks/learningResources"
 import { RiArrowRightLine } from "@remixicon/react"
 import RootTopicIcon from "@/components/RootTopicIcon/RootTopicIcon"
+import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const Section = styled.section`
   background: #fff url("/images/backgrounds/open-bg-texture-with-gradient.svg")
@@ -104,6 +106,7 @@ const SeeAllButton = styled(ButtonLink)`
 `
 
 const BrowseTopicsSection: React.FC = () => {
+  const posthog = usePostHog()
   const { data: topics } = useLearningResourceTopics({ is_toplevel: true })
 
   return (
@@ -119,6 +122,13 @@ const BrowseTopicsSection: React.FC = () => {
                 <TopicBox
                   key={id}
                   href={channelUrl ? new URL(channelUrl!).pathname : ""}
+                  onClick={() => {
+                    if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
+                      posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.HomeTopicClicked, {
+                        topic: name,
+                      })
+                    }
+                  }}
                 >
                   <TopicBoxContent>
                     <RootTopicIcon icon={icon} />
@@ -130,7 +140,16 @@ const BrowseTopicsSection: React.FC = () => {
             },
           )}
         </Topics>
-        <SeeAllButton href="/topics/" size="large" responsive>
+        <SeeAllButton
+          href="/topics/"
+          onClick={() => {
+            if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
+              posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.HomeSeeAllTopicsClicked)
+            }
+          }}
+          size="large"
+          responsive
+        >
           See all
         </SeeAllButton>
       </Container>
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/TopicsListingPage/TopicsListingPage.tsx b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/TopicsListingPage/TopicsListingPage.tsx
index b52b3dd090..d72f6ed636 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/TopicsListingPage/TopicsListingPage.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/TopicsListingPage/TopicsListingPage.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@ import { aggregateProgramCounts, aggregateCourseCounts } from "@/common/utils"
 import { useChannelCounts } from "api/hooks/channels"
 import backgroundSteps from "@/public/images/backgrounds/background_steps.jpg"
 import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import type { PostHog } from "posthog-js"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
+
+const captureTopicClicked = (
+  posthog: PostHog,
+  event: string,
+  topic: string,
+) => {
+  if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
+    posthog.capture(event, { topic })
+  }
+}
 
 type ChannelSummary = {
   id: number | string
@@ -37,12 +49,20 @@ type TopicBoxHeaderProps = {
   icon?: string
   href?: string
   className?: string
+  posthog?: PostHog
 }
 const TopicBoxHeader = styled(
-  ({ title, icon, href, className }: TopicBoxHeaderProps) => {
+  ({ title, icon, href, className, posthog }: TopicBoxHeaderProps) => {
     return (
       <Typography variant="h5" component="h2" className={className}>
-        <Link href={href ?? ""}>
+        <Link
+          href={href ?? ""}
+          onClick={() => {
+            if (posthog) {
+              captureTopicClicked(posthog, PostHogEvents.TopicClicked, title)
+            }
+          }}
+        >
           <RootTopicIcon icon={icon} aria-hidden="true" />
           <span>
             <span className="topic-title">{title}</span>
@@ -131,15 +151,10 @@ const TopicBox = ({
     { label: "Programs", count: programCount },
   ].filter((item) => item.count)
   const { title, href, icon, channels } = topicGroup
-  const captureTopicClicked = (topic: string) => {
-    if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-      posthog.capture("topic_clicked", { topic })
-    }
-  }
 
   return (
     <li className={className}>
-      <TopicBoxHeader title={title} href={href} icon={icon} />
+      <TopicBoxHeader title={title} href={href} icon={icon} posthog={posthog} />
       <TopicBoxBody>
         <TopicCounts>
           {counts.map((item) => (
@@ -156,7 +171,11 @@ const TopicBox = ({
               key={c.id}
               href={c.channel_url && new URL(c.channel_url).pathname}
               onClick={() => {
-                captureTopicClicked(title)
+                captureTopicClicked(
+                  posthog,
+                  PostHogEvents.SubTopicClicked,
+                  c.name,
+                )
               }}
               label={c.name}
             />
@@ -170,7 +189,11 @@ const TopicBox = ({
               key={c.id}
               href={c.channel_url && new URL(c.channel_url).pathname}
               onClick={() => {
-                captureTopicClicked(title)
+                captureTopicClicked(
+                  posthog,
+                  PostHogEvents.SubTopicClicked,
+                  c.name,
+                )
               }}
               label={c.name}
             />
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/UnitsListingPage/UnitCard.tsx b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/UnitsListingPage/UnitCard.tsx
index ca4d91bf05..bdef05e715 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/app-pages/UnitsListingPage/UnitCard.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/app-pages/UnitsListingPage/UnitCard.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 } from "ol-components"
 import Link from "next/link"
 import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const CardStyled = styled(Card)({
   height: "100%",
@@ -132,7 +133,9 @@ const UnitCard: React.FC<UnitCardProps> = (props) => {
                 href={href}
                 onClick={() => {
                   if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-                    posthog.capture("provider_link_clicked", { provider: unit })
+                    posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.ProviderLinkClicked, {
+                      provider: unit,
+                    })
                   }
                 }}
                 data-card-link
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/common/constants.ts b/frontends/main/src/common/constants.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..60ca468168
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontends/main/src/common/constants.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+export const PostHogEvents = {
+  SearchUpdate: "search_update",
+  CallToActionClicked: "cta_clicked",
+  LearningResourceDrawerOpen: "lrd_open",
+  LearningResourceDrawerView: "lrd_view",
+  HeroBrowseTopics: "clicked_hero_browse_topics",
+  LRAddToList: "lr_add_to_list",
+  ProviderLinkClicked: "provider_link_clicked",
+  HomeTopicClicked: "home_topic_clicked",
+  HomeSeeAllTopicsClicked: "home_see_all_topics_clicked",
+  TopicClicked: "topic_clicked",
+  SubTopicClicked: "sub_topic_clicked",
+  RelatedTopicClicked: "related_topic_clicked",
+  DepartmentLinkClicked: "department_link_clicked",
+  ClosedNavDrawer: "closed_nav_drawer",
+  OpenedNavDrawer: "opened_nav_drawer",
+  ClickedNavBrowseCourses: "clicked_nav_browse_courses",
+  ClickedNavBrowsePrograms: "clicked_nav_browse_programs",
+  ClickedNavBrowseLearningMaterials: "clicked_nav_browse_learning_materials",
+  ClickedNavBrowseTopics: "clicked_nav_browse_topics",
+  ClickedNavBrowseDepartments: "clicked_nav_browse_departments",
+  ClickedNavBrowseProviders: "clicked_nav_browse_providers",
+  ClickedNavBrowseNew: "clicked_nav_browse_new",
+  ClickedNavBrowseUpcoming: "clicked_nav_browse_upcoming",
+  ClickedNavBrowsePopular: "clicked_nav_browse_popular",
+  ClickedNavBrowseFree: "clicked_nav_browse_free",
+  ClickedNavBrowseCertificate: "clicked_nav_browse_certificate",
+} as const
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/page-components/Dialogs/AddToListDialog.tsx b/frontends/main/src/page-components/Dialogs/AddToListDialog.tsx
index f372d7b5de..7b1cdc9b6a 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/page-components/Dialogs/AddToListDialog.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/page-components/Dialogs/AddToListDialog.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
 import { manageListDialogs } from "@/page-components/ManageListDialogs/ManageListDialogs"
 import { ListType } from "api/constants"
 import { useFormik } from "formik"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const LIST_LIMIT = 100
 
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ const AddToListDialogInner: React.FC<AddToListDialogInnerProps> = ({
     onSubmit: async (values) => {
       if (resource) {
         if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-          posthog.capture("lr_add_to_list", {
+          posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.LRAddToList, {
             listType: listType,
             resourceId: resource?.id,
             readableId: resource?.readable_id,
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/page-components/Header/Header.tsx b/frontends/main/src/page-components/Header/Header.tsx
index b1f975f3f5..86e28ce3e8 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/page-components/Header/Header.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/page-components/Header/Header.tsx
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/common/urls"
 import { useUserMe } from "api/hooks/user"
 import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const Bar = styled(AppBar)(({ theme }) => ({
   padding: "16px 8px",
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ const navData: NavData = {
           description:
             "Single courses on a specific subject, taught by MIT instructors",
           href: SEARCH_COURSE,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_courses",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseCourses,
         },
         {
           title: "Programs",
@@ -196,7 +197,7 @@ const navData: NavData = {
           description:
             "A series of courses for in-depth learning across a range of topics",
           href: SEARCH_PROGRAM,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_programs",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowsePrograms,
         },
         {
           title: "Learning Materials",
@@ -204,7 +205,7 @@ const navData: NavData = {
           description:
             "Free learning and teaching materials, including videos, podcasts, lecture notes, and more",
           href: SEARCH_LEARNING_MATERIAL,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_learning_materials",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseLearningMaterials,
         },
       ],
     },
@@ -215,19 +216,19 @@ const navData: NavData = {
           title: "By Topic",
           icon: <RiPresentationLine />,
           href: TOPICS,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_topics",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseTopics,
         },
         {
           title: "By Department",
           icon: <RiNodeTree />,
           href: DEPARTMENTS,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_departments",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseDepartments,
         },
         {
           title: "By Provider",
           icon: <RiVerifiedBadgeLine />,
           href: UNITS,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_providers",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseProviders,
         },
       ],
     },
@@ -238,31 +239,31 @@ const navData: NavData = {
           title: "Recently Added",
           icon: <RiFileAddLine />,
           href: SEARCH_NEW,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_new",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseNew,
         },
         {
           title: "Upcoming",
           icon: <RiTimeLine />,
           href: SEARCH_UPCOMING,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_upcoming",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseUpcoming,
         },
         {
           title: "Popular",
           href: SEARCH_POPULAR,
           icon: <RiHeartLine />,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_popular",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowsePopular,
         },
         {
           title: "Free",
           icon: <RiPriceTag3Line />,
           href: SEARCH_FREE,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_free",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseFree,
         },
         {
           title: "With Certificate",
           icon: <RiAwardLine />,
           href: SEARCH_CERTIFICATE,
-          posthogEvent: "clicked_nav_browse_certificate",
+          posthogEvent: PostHogEvents.ClickedNavBrowseCertificate,
         },
       ],
     },
@@ -275,8 +276,8 @@ const Header: FunctionComponent = () => {
   const desktopTrigger = React.useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null)
   const mobileTrigger = React.useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null)
   const drawerToggleEvent = drawerOpen
-    ? "closed_nav_drawer"
-    : "opened_nav_drawer"
+    ? PostHogEvents.ClosedNavDrawer
+    : PostHogEvents.OpenedNavDrawer
   const posthogCapture = (event: string) => {
     if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
       posthog.capture(event)
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/page-components/HeroSearch/HeroSearch.tsx b/frontends/main/src/page-components/HeroSearch/HeroSearch.tsx
index f3c7fdd822..029dd00e0d 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/page-components/HeroSearch/HeroSearch.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/page-components/HeroSearch/HeroSearch.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ import {
 } from "@remixicon/react"
 import Image from "next/image"
 import { SearchField } from "@/page-components/SearchField/SearchField"
+import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 type SearchChip = {
   label: string
@@ -193,6 +195,12 @@ const BoldLink = styled(Link)(({ theme }) => ({
 }))
 
 const HeroSearch: React.FC<{ imageIndex: number }> = ({ imageIndex }) => {
+  const posthog = usePostHog()
+  const posthogCapture = (event: string) => {
+    if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
+      posthog.capture(event)
+    }
+  }
   const [searchText, setSearchText] = useState("")
   const onSearchClear = useCallback(() => setSearchText(""), [])
   const router = useRouter()
@@ -240,7 +248,15 @@ const HeroSearch: React.FC<{ imageIndex: number }> = ({ imageIndex }) => {
             <BrowseByTopicContainer>
               <BrowseByTopicText>
                 or browse by{" "}
-                <TopicLink href="/topics/" color="red">
+                <TopicLink
+                  href="/topics/"
+                  onClick={() => {
+                    if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
+                      posthogCapture(PostHogEvents.HeroBrowseTopics)
+                    }
+                  }}
+                  color="red"
+                >
                   Topic
                 </TopicLink>
               </BrowseByTopicText>
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceDrawer.tsx b/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceDrawer.tsx
index bfbb7d3733..df49e6069f 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceDrawer.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceDrawer.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { useIsLearningPathMember } from "api/hooks/learningPaths"
 import { useIsUserListMember } from "api/hooks/userLists"
 import { TopicCarouselConfig } from "@/common/carousels"
 import { ResourceTypeEnum } from "api"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const RESOURCE_DRAWER_PARAMS = [RESOURCE_DRAWER_QUERY_PARAM] as const
 
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ const useCapturePageView = (resourceId: number) => {
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!apiKey || apiKey.length < 1) return
     if (!isSuccess) return
-    posthog.capture("lrd_view", {
+    posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.LearningResourceDrawerView, {
       resourceId: data?.id,
       readableId: data?.readable_id,
       platformCode: data?.platform?.code,
@@ -64,7 +65,9 @@ const DrawerContent: React.FC<{
   const posthog = usePostHog()
   const resource = useLearningResourcesDetail(Number(resourceId))
   if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-    posthog.capture("lrd_open", { resource: resource?.data })
+    posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.LearningResourceDrawerOpen, {
+      resource: resource?.data,
+    })
   }
   const [signupEl, setSignupEl] = React.useState<HTMLElement | null>(null)
   const { data: user } = useUserMe()
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceExpanded.tsx b/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceExpanded.tsx
index acd5e44f46..b9ffbcf63c 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceExpanded.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/page-components/LearningResourceDrawer/LearningResourceExpanded.tsx
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import { useFeatureFlagEnabled, usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
 import classNames from "classnames"
 import AiChatSyllabus from "./AiChatSyllabus"
 import { FeatureFlags } from "@/common/feature_flags"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 const DRAWER_WIDTH = "900px"
 const showChatClass = "show-chat"
@@ -610,7 +611,7 @@ const CallToActionSection = ({
           href={resource.url || ""}
           onClick={() => {
             if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-              posthog.capture("cta_clicked", { resource })
+              posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.CallToActionClicked, { resource })
             }
           }}
           data-ph-action="click-cta"
diff --git a/frontends/main/src/page-components/SearchField/SearchField.tsx b/frontends/main/src/page-components/SearchField/SearchField.tsx
index fdb476928a..71d0ad8d9d 100644
--- a/frontends/main/src/page-components/SearchField/SearchField.tsx
+++ b/frontends/main/src/page-components/SearchField/SearchField.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import React from "react"
 import { SearchInput } from "ol-components"
 import type { SearchInputProps, SearchSubmissionEvent } from "ol-components"
 import { usePostHog } from "posthog-js/react"
+import { PostHogEvents } from "@/common/constants"
 
 type SearchFieldProps = SearchInputProps & {
   onSubmit: (event: SearchSubmissionEvent) => void
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ const SearchField: React.FC<SearchFieldProps> = ({
     onSubmit(event)
     setPage?.(1)
     if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POSTHOG_API_KEY) {
-      posthog.capture("search_update", { isEnter: isEnter })
+      posthog.capture(PostHogEvents.SearchUpdate, { isEnter: isEnter })
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/learning_resources/management/commands/backpopulate_favorites_lists.py b/learning_resources/management/commands/backpopulate_favorites_lists.py
index 3acf31b138..bc6dc78266 100644
--- a/learning_resources/management/commands/backpopulate_favorites_lists.py
+++ b/learning_resources/management/commands/backpopulate_favorites_lists.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """Management command to create user Favorites lists"""
 
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.core.management import BaseCommand
 
 from learning_resources.constants import FAVORITES_TITLE
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ def add_arguments(self, parser):
 
     def handle(self, *args, **options):  # noqa: ARG002
         """Create a Favorites userlist for every active user"""
+        User = get_user_model()
+
         if options["delete"]:
             self.stdout.write("Deleting all existing Favorites userlists")
             UserList.objects.filter(title=FAVORITES_TITLE).delete()
diff --git a/learning_resources/management/commands/populate_featured_lists.py b/learning_resources/management/commands/populate_featured_lists.py
index 675c78f3b3..dae2ddfa4a 100644
--- a/learning_resources/management/commands/populate_featured_lists.py
+++ b/learning_resources/management/commands/populate_featured_lists.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import sys
 
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.core.management import BaseCommand
 
 from channels.models import Channel
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 )
 from main.utils import clear_search_cache, now_in_utc
 
+User = get_user_model()
+
 
 class Command(BaseCommand):
     """create dev-only featured lists for offeror channels"""
diff --git a/learning_resources/models.py b/learning_resources/models.py
index cc4878d522..c3db10b55c 100644
--- a/learning_resources/models.py
+++ b/learning_resources/models.py
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 import uuid
 from abc import abstractmethod
 from functools import cached_property
-from typing import Optional
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Optional
 
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib.postgres.fields import ArrayField
 from django.db import models
 from django.db.models import CharField, Count, JSONField, OuterRef, Prefetch, Q
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@
 )
 from main.models import TimestampedModel, TimestampedModelQuerySet
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
+
+    User = get_user_model()
+
 
 def default_delivery():
     """Return the default delivery as a list"""
@@ -328,7 +333,7 @@ def __str__(self):
 class LearningResourceQuerySet(TimestampedModelQuerySet):
     """QuerySet for LearningResource"""
 
-    def for_serialization(self, *, user: User | None = None):
+    def for_serialization(self, *, user: Optional["User"] = None):
         """Return the list of prefetches"""
         return (
             self.prefetch_related(
@@ -792,7 +797,9 @@ class LearningPath(LearningResourceDetailModel):
         on_delete=models.CASCADE,
     )
     author = models.ForeignKey(
-        User, related_name="learning_paths", on_delete=models.PROTECT
+        settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL,
+        related_name="learning_paths",
+        on_delete=models.PROTECT,
     )
 
     def __str__(self):
@@ -896,7 +903,9 @@ class UserList(TimestampedModel):
     """
 
     author = models.ForeignKey(
-        User, on_delete=models.deletion.CASCADE, related_name="user_lists"
+        settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL,
+        on_delete=models.deletion.CASCADE,
+        related_name="user_lists",
     )
     title = models.CharField(max_length=256)
     description = models.TextField(default="", blank=True)
diff --git a/learning_resources/serializers.py b/learning_resources/serializers.py
index bc4aa05713..068a36daa6 100644
--- a/learning_resources/serializers.py
+++ b/learning_resources/serializers.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 from decimal import Decimal
 from uuid import uuid4
 
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.db.models import F, Max
 from drf_spectacular.utils import extend_schema_field
@@ -845,6 +845,8 @@ def get_item_count(self, instance) -> int:
 
     def create(self, validated_data):
         """Create a new user list"""
+        User = get_user_model()
+
         request = self.context.get("request")
         if request and hasattr(request, "user") and isinstance(request.user, User):
             validated_data["author"] = request.user
diff --git a/learning_resources/utils.py b/learning_resources/utils.py
index 56da4f8e32..899d65e75a 100644
--- a/learning_resources/utils.py
+++ b/learning_resources/utils.py
@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 
 import logging
 import re
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 import rapidjson
 import requests
 import yaml
 from botocore.exceptions import ClientError
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, User
+from django.contrib.auth.models import Group
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.db.models import Q
 from retry import retry
@@ -33,6 +34,11 @@
 
 log = logging.getLogger()
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
+
+    User = get_user_model()
+
 
 def user_list_image_upload_uri(instance, filename):
     """
@@ -229,7 +235,7 @@ def parse_instructors(staff):
     return instructors
 
 
-def update_editor_group(user: User, is_editor: False):
+def update_editor_group(user: "User", is_editor: False):
     """Assign or unassign user to staff list editors group"""
     group, _ = Group.objects.get_or_create(name=GROUP_STAFF_LISTS_EDITORS)
     if is_editor:
diff --git a/main/factories.py b/main/factories.py
index 8f338ed84b..499c599cdb 100644
--- a/main/factories.py
+++ b/main/factories.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 """
 
 import ulid
-from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, User
+from django.conf import settings
 from factory import LazyFunction, RelatedFactory, SubFactory, Trait
 from factory.django import DjangoModelFactory
 from factory.fuzzy import FuzzyText
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ class UserFactory(DjangoModelFactory):
     profile = RelatedFactory("profiles.factories.ProfileFactory", "user")
 
     class Meta:
-        model = User
+        model = settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL
         skip_postgeneration_save = True
 
     class Params:
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class GroupFactory(DjangoModelFactory):
     name = FuzzyText()
 
     class Meta:
-        model = Group
+        model = "auth.Group"
 
 
 class UserSocialAuthFactory(DjangoModelFactory):
diff --git a/main/settings.py b/main/settings.py
index 7bd3c0b51d..6e19e044dd 100644
--- a/main/settings.py
+++ b/main/settings.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 from main.settings_pluggy import *  # noqa: F403
 from openapi.settings_spectacular import open_spectacular_settings
 
-VERSION = "0.30.0"
+VERSION = "0.30.1"
 
 log = logging.getLogger()
 
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@
 
 ALLOWED_HOSTS = ["*"]
 
+AUTH_USER_MODEL = "auth.User"
+
 SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT = get_bool("MITOL_SECURE_SSL_REDIRECT", True)  # noqa: FBT003
 
 SITE_ID = 1
@@ -816,7 +818,7 @@ def get_all_config_keys():
 LITELLM_TOKEN_ENCODING_NAME = get_string(
     name="LITELLM_TOKEN_ENCODING_NAME", default=None
 )
-LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER = get_string(name="LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER", default="ollama")
+LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER = get_string(name="LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER", default="openai")
 LITELLM_API_BASE = get_string(name="LITELLM_API_BASE", default=None)
 
 
diff --git a/poetry.lock b/poetry.lock
index 653c895c6b..e6542321b4 100644
--- a/poetry.lock
+++ b/poetry.lock
@@ -1744,13 +1744,13 @@ doc = ["Sphinx", "sphinx-rtd-theme", "sphinxcontrib-spelling"]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "faker"
-version = "30.10.0"
+version = "35.2.0"
 description = "Faker is a Python package that generates fake data for you."
 optional = false
 python-versions = ">=3.8"
 files = [
-    {file = "Faker-30.10.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:5f05ee92ddf0e1736d95dca41b2a16ee06d987b736fa4ddecdb047abf2e9024b"},
-    {file = "faker-30.10.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:c2e627d3becec67f7a45400d3670018b5abb3f0728b7dfaa06c135b7df1ce3fb"},
+    {file = "Faker-35.2.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:609abe555761ff31b0e5e16f958696e9b65c9224a7ac612ac96bfc2b8f09fe35"},
+    {file = "faker-35.2.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:28c24061780f83b45d9cb15a72b8f143b09d276c9ff52eb557744b7a89e8ba19"},
 ]
 
 [package.dependencies]
@@ -7831,4 +7831,4 @@ testing = ["coverage[toml]", "zope.event", "zope.testing"]
 [metadata]
 lock-version = "2.0"
 python-versions = "3.12.6"
-content-hash = "e3e07fceaad4bcd0b1ab5dfa63245439162f395b3c15001cce29397f91ad9d2f"
+content-hash = "21a25778ed407405a95e83d4acf4bad0046b0098d8ac525ac533dcf9b3cfb35d"
diff --git a/profiles/views.py b/profiles/views.py
index c157209d67..802584d8e2 100644
--- a/profiles/views.py
+++ b/profiles/views.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 from cairosvg import svg2png  # pylint:disable=no-name-in-module
 from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
 from django.http import HttpResponse, HttpResponseRedirect
 from django.shortcuts import get_object_or_404, redirect
 from django.utils.decorators import method_decorator
@@ -137,6 +136,8 @@ def name_initials_avatar_view(
     bgcolor,
 ):  # pylint:disable=unused-argument
     """View for initial avatar"""
+    User = get_user_model()
+
     user = User.objects.filter(username=username).first()
     if not user:
         return redirect(DEFAULT_PROFILE_IMAGE)
diff --git a/profiles/views_test.py b/profiles/views_test.py
index 99a7a51043..19bef38c25 100644
--- a/profiles/views_test.py
+++ b/profiles/views_test.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 import pytest
 from django.conf import settings
-from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.urls import reverse
 from rest_framework import status
 
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
 
 pytestmark = [pytest.mark.django_db]
 
+User = get_user_model()
+
 
 def test_list_users(staff_client, staff_user):
     """
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 32c39a0b7d..d16a073a9a 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ bpython = "^0.25"
 ddt = "^1.6.0"
 django-debug-toolbar = "^4.1.0"
 factory_boy = "^3.3.0"
-faker = "^30.0.0"
+faker = "^35.0.0"
 ipdb = "^0.13.13"
 moto = "^5.0.0"
 nplusone = "^1.0.0"
@@ -214,6 +214,9 @@ convention = "pep257"
 [tool.ruff.lint.flake8-quotes]
 inline-quotes = "double"
 
+[tool.ruff.lint.flake8-tidy-imports.banned-api]
+"django.contrib.auth.models.User".msg = "use get_user_model() or settings.AUTH_USER_MODEL"
+
 [tool.ruff.lint.per-file-ignores]
 "*_test.py" = ["ARG001", "E501", "S101", "PLR2004"]
 "test_*.py" = ["ARG001", "E501", "S101", "PLR2004"]
diff --git a/vector_search/encoders/litellm.py b/vector_search/encoders/litellm.py
index 5dd81d04a7..6d7613e429 100644
--- a/vector_search/encoders/litellm.py
+++ b/vector_search/encoders/litellm.py
@@ -28,11 +28,12 @@ def embed_documents(self, documents):
         return [result["embedding"] for result in self.get_embedding(documents)["data"]]
 
     def get_embedding(self, texts):
-        if settings.LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER and settings.LITELLM_API_BASE:
-            return embedding(
-                model=self.model_name,
-                input=texts,
-                api_base=settings.LITELLM_API_BASE,
-                custom_llm_provider=settings.LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER,
-            ).to_dict()
-        return embedding(model=self.model_name, input=texts).to_dict()
+        config = {
+            "model": self.model_name,
+            "input": texts,
+        }
+        if settings.LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER:
+            config["custom_llm_provider"] = settings.LITELLM_CUSTOM_PROVIDER
+        if settings.LITELLM_API_BASE:
+            config["api_base"] = settings.LITELLM_API_BASE
+        return embedding(**config).to_dict()