WiCS Con 2023 Sessions

Career progression in the software industry isn’t always about doing the same thing more, harder, or longer. Hear from Joanne, the first woman promoted to Director of Software Development in Google Canada, as she details some of her personal journey and a dozen of the hard-won lessons that got her there. Spoiler alert: most of these are surprisingly generic and are immediately applicable to multiple domains and stages of your professional/life journey. 

Joanne McKinley is a Director of Software Development at Google. She co-founded the Google Waterloo office in 2005 as one of the first developers of mobile Gmail. For years, Joanne led the delivery of mobile Gmail across multiple generations of mobile platforms, co-authoring over a dozen software patents. She currently leads Chat Developer Platform efforts within Google Workspace. Joanne is passionate about championing and developing female leaders in technology. A role model for work-life balance, she has earned multiple promotions while working 32-hour weeks. 

Joanne holds a BMath (2000) and MMath (2002) in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. She is mother to 3 school-aged children, enjoys running, and plays in three flute ensembles. 

Are you gearing up for technical interviews? Whether you’re interested in Software Engineering internships or full-time SWE roles, you may want to brush up on those technical interview skills. Join Googlers to practice mock questions and learn some tips & tricks to ace your interviews!

Speakers: 

Kaitlyn Barnett is a Campus Outreach Program Manager at Google Waterloo. She manages outreach programming with schools across Canada. She studied at the University of Waterloo in Kinesiology and Human Resources Management. Outside of work she enjoys travelling, walking her dog Gus and golfing. 

Elmi Eflov is a Software Developer working in Google Nest. She is deeply interested in enhancing the field of Computer Science by removing inequalities and increasing participation of various groups. To this effect, she is a member of Women@ and Tooglers at Google. Elmi completed her BMath and MMath at University of Waterloo, completing her Master's degree part-time while working full time. 

Laura Culp is a Research Software Developer at Google Toronto. She works with researchers on ML projects, engaging in a variety of research and product development. Previously she worked at Google Seattle on the Pixel Phone, Camera App, Ads, and Cloud Platform. She studied Computer Science/Math at the University of Waterloo. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her daughter, and getting outside in any way possible. 

They will be joined by 6 additional Google interview mentors!

Join Meta for a technical interview bootcamp to help you Crush Your Coding interviews. This workshop will prepare you to do well in software engineering interviews. We'll cover:

• How to write a great resume
• Talk through an algorithm problem
• How to brainstorm solutions
• How to discuss the problem with your interviewer
• How to write (and test) code on a whiteboard

Speakers:

Chris Bickel: Hi everyone! My name is Chris, and I’m the primary Waterloo recruiter for SWE. I’m super excited to be Meta’s main talent scout for Waterloo and loved getting to know the school and its students over the last year. Prior to Meta, I’ve worked as a recruiter (both University Relations and Professional-level recruiting) at Comcast and DISH Network. Before recruiting, I got my “professional” start at a cluster of radio stations where I was on-air talent, created production, and ran the internship program for the stations.   

Arti Gilra: Arti is a Software Engineer based out of the Menlo Park office. She graduated from Computer Engineering at University of Waterloo in 2015. She has been at Meta for the past 5+ years and worked on the Facebook Live product team, and now works on the infrastructure side to optimize Datacenter operations. In her spare time, Arti likes to paint, play the ukulele, and go out for hiking. 

Speed networking are short 1:1 gatherings – just as you would have if you attended the conference in-person. Come and meet peers, representatives from WiCS Con industrial partners, and other women interested in computing. This is a good way to build your personal network! Some attendees find this to be the best part of the conference. 

There is a dedicated time on Friday 4:30-5:00 when speed networking is the primary event. But speed networking will be available for the duration of the conference – for whenever you want to take time out to visit with other attendees. 

Applying for co-op or full-time positions this term? Even if your resume has been looked over in PD1, it is wise to have someone in the tech industry provide feedback on what a resume for a technical position should look like. This session will start with resume tips and advice followed by 1:1 sessions with mentors from Avanade. Bring a copy of your resume!

Speakers: 

Angelique Joseph is the Early Talent Recruitment Lead for Avanade Canada and has 5 years’ experience working within Human Resources. Prior to joining Avanade, Angelique worked as a Talent Acquisition Coordinator and Human Resources Administrator in the telecom and construction industries. She is passionate about supporting young professionals as they enter the workforce and matching them with the right positions that enable them to grow within their careers, particularly people who identify as Women+, Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+, persons with disabilities and newcomers to Canada and the intersectionality of any of these groups Angelique is based in Toronto and has a Bachelor of Arts and a postgraduate certificate in Human Resources Management. 

Lucas Woodruff – I'm the Early Talent Lead in the West Region for Avanade. I have eight years of combined HR/Talent Acquisition experience that spans start-ups and well-established companies alike. Even though New Mexico is my current home, I was raised in rural Kansas, where I was the first in my family to earn a college degree. I knew the challenges I faced in my career, which is why I enjoy talent acquisition. Being able to help a person find that next steppingstone makes the day completely worth it. My best advice for a job seeker – "take a chance." Sometimes the best job you will ever have will be working for a company you have never heard of or in an industry that was never on your radar. The possibilities are out there. 

Emily Many is Avanade’s Group Manager, University and Early Talent Recruitment Lead for North America. She has 10+ years of recruiting experience in the consulting and technical industries. She is a passionate recruiting leader, committed to helping connect people with exciting career opportunities. Emily is based in Bozeman, Montana and has recruited for early talent roles throughout North America since joining Avanade in 2012. 

HRT recruiters will walk you through their tips on how to land the job, from resume building all the way to getting an offer. This talk will be followed by a Q&A. 

Speakers: 

Brittany Rhoa, Campus Recruiter: Brittany is a campus recruiter with over four years of experience partnering with universities and student groups. She currently manages HRT's new grad roles in the algorithm developer space. When not working, Brittany enjoys playing volleyball with other HRTers in a local recreation league.  

Dana Barclay, Campus Recruiter: Dana is a campus recruiter with over five years of experience partnering with universities and student groups. She currently manages HRT's new grad roles in the software engineering space. When not working, Dana occasionally joins other HRTers for a night of D&D. 

We will be streaming the documentary film Code: Debugging the Gender Gap by filmmaker Robin Hauser Reynolds on Hopin, which explores the shortage of female software engineers and highlights the innovative efforts to change the exclusion.  

Watch the trailer here

In tech, we move fast (and sometimes break things). As a result, many of us who are goal- and plan-oriented are caught off guard when all the constraints we depended on are flipped on their head. This talk will focus on balancing being deliberate and thoughtful in your career planning, while also being flexible in the face of adversity and sweeping change. What can you control when everything seems out of control? 

Speaker

Clarisse Schneider (Software Developer, Meta) is a SE 2017 graduate who loves to come back to Waterloo for recruiting and outreach events! 

She strategized using her 6 co-ops to decide location, size of company, and tech stack that would work best for her and ultimately ended up at Facebook in Seattle working on Messenger video calling for iOS for 5 years. At the end of 2022, she moved back to Toronto to work for WhatsApp out of the downtown Meta office and is excited to build a pod of Canadian talent! 

When she was at Waterloo, she was very involved in EngSoc (founding EngHack, producing an EngPlay, among other directorships). Additionally, she ran several conferences including the Conference for Diversity in Engineering as well as the Future Female Techmakers Conference, which is the predecessor to WiCS Con! 

Now that she's out in the real world, her hobbies include: singing bass in a woman's Barbershop chorus, playing violin in a community orchestra, D&D, hockey, dragon boat, weightlifting, puzzle events, knitting, and cheering nervously for the Leafs and Kraken.  

Speed networking are short 1:1 gatherings – just as you would have if you attended the conference in-person. Come and meet peers, representatives from WiCS Con industrial partners, and other women interested in computing. This is a good way to build your personal network! Some attendees find this to be the best part of the conference. 

There is a dedicated time on Friday 4:30-5:00 when speed networking is the primary event. But speed networking will be available for the duration of the conference – for whenever you want to take time out to visit with other attendees. 

Try to solve a computer science murder mystery! Teams will be asked to answer computer science-related questions in order to interview suspects and solve the case.  

Speakers: 

Katherine Li: Hi, I'm Katherine and I just finished my 2A term of Computer Science. Recently, I've been exploring different areas of technology such as game development and computer vision, but beyond that, I love bad puns, board games, and singing. 

Rachel Scott: Hi, I’m Rachel! I am in my 3A term of Statistics and am hoping to double minor in Computing and French. I’m passionate about using tech for social good and have been involved in lots of teams on campus such as TechNova and UW Blueprint! 

Kitty Li: Hi there! I’m a 3rd year Computer Science student at the University of Waterloo. My most recent co-op experience was as a Software Developer in DevOps for Playstation. I’ve been involved with UWaterloo’s Women in Computer Science Club for 3 terms as an executive. In my free time, I love reading and playing the piano.  

You have accomplished some cool things, but you are early in your career. You know a lot about your field, but there is a lot more to learn. How do you accurately represent and brand yourself to companies, peers, and managers? What is the balance between over-exaggerating your skills, and being confident in what you know? Hear from Meta engineers and recruiting for how to give yourself credit for the things you have achieved in the right tone.  

Speakers: 

Sarah Hester (University Recruiter) -- My favorite thing is connecting with you and helping you navigate this career space. My name is Sarah, I have been in the university recruiting space for almost a decade. I have seen it change and have hired everything from embedded engineers to software developers to product managers to PhD's. I have been at Meta for just over a year as a remote employee. I am passionate about helping you get what you want out of your career and equipping you with as many tools as possible.  

Laura Bingeman (Software Engineer) -- Hi! I'm Laura and I'm a Software Engineer at Meta. I've been at Meta for a little over 3 years and spend most of my time working on sharing on the Facebook iOS app. I am a proud University of Waterloo alum, graduating from Systems Design Engineering in 2019. While at Waterloo, I worked across Canada and US, completing co-op terms at Meta, Yahoo, The Weather Network and Evertz Microsystems. 

Jenny Sun(Software Engineer) - Jenny is currently an iOS Engineer on Instagram Audio in SF. Prior to Instagram, Jenny attended the University of Waterloo and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelors in Computer Science, Honours with Co-op. She had interned at Facebook twice (Facebook Ads Frontend Infrastructure in Seattle and Instagram Shopping in New York) before converting to a full-time. While full-time, Jenny has been both a Bootcamp mentor and FBU intern manager.

Want to know what full-time work is like (compared with co-op work)? Want to know what it is like to be a woman in computing 5 years out of school? Join us in welcoming home several alumnae who have a wide range of jobs and experiences to share! 

Speakers: 

Falah Shazib is a XR Software Developer at Unity Technologies and majored in Computer Science and Pure Mathematics as part of the University of Waterloo Class of 2021. In her time at Waterloo, she served on WiCS, Blueprint, UWVR and more. Currently she also chairs the Unity Muslim Employee Resource Group and leads the Student Ambassador and Leadership programs at the Pakistani Women in Computing Nonprofit. 

Chloe Sham (Product Security Engineer at Salesforce): Chloe majored in computer science at University of Waterloo after transferring from Actuarial Science and graduated in 2021. She has done a range of different internships (front end, data science, backend, ML&privacy/security research) prior to transitioning into product security. Outside of school and work, she has worked in/partnered with various grass-root non-profits through leading a variety of projects (eg fundraising campaigns, website designs, hosting workshops, B2B sales, event organization). 

Alicia Yang was a backend software engineer at Twitter after graduating from Waterloo Computer Science in 2021. She served on WiCS Undergrad committee and MathSoc during her time in Waterloo. Currently she also runs a side hustle as a game art illustrator. 

Kimberley Fraser (Android Engineering at Scridb Inc.): After discovering mobile engineering while on a co-op term working with WiCS she pursued opportunities in that area before settling on android engineering. She has a particular interest in accessibility and how we can improve software to make it more available to all. Outside of software, Kim enjoys reading and spending time with her dog, Mango. 

Titanic Challenge (AI workshop)  

1:00 PM -> 2:00 PM  

Titanic was a famous passenger ship that tragically sunk on its maiden voyage, and the majority of the passengers died. If you have a data set containing the passenger information, can you build a model to predict what factors led to a passenger surviving or not surviving? 
 
In this workshop, we will guide you through a series of tasks to explore the Titanic data set. Our ultimate goal is to build a machine learning model to correctly predict the survival of each passenger in the data set. By the end of this workshop, you will learn a little bit of Python, a little bit of data science, and a little bit of machine learning. But, more importantly, you will be ready to embark on a journey to learn more about machine learning and data science by yourself. 

**BEFORE WiCS Con starts:  There is some homework to prepare for this workshop in advance. (1) Sign on to Kaggle (using a laptop or tablet with keyboard), (2) Access the Titanic Tutorial online (https://www.kaggle.com/alexisbcook/titanic-tutorial), complete parts 1 and 2 of the titanic tutorial on your own. After this, your coding environment is ready for the workshop! (3) Bring your laptop/tablet to the workshop! 

Speakers: 

Sissy He: I'm a second-year software engineering student at Waterloo doing my second coop - have experience in hardware and software development and have an interest in computer science in mathematics and the environment field. Working on getting my minor in CO & CM. 

Vivian Guo: Nice to meet you! I'm Vivian and I just completed my 2A term in Computing Financial Management. I am passionate about technology, business, and all the innovative intersections of the two fields! In my free time, I like to draw and read; I recommend the book Klara and the Sun (it's a heartwarming story told from the perspective of an artificial intelligence robot). 

Molly Xu: Hi! I am in my 3rd year of Computer Science, and I’m hoping to double minor in Spanish and Cognitive Science. Outside of coding, I love reading and learning to play the piano! 

Sebina Gorbachev: Hey guys! I’m Sabina, I’m currently in my third year of BCS/BBA double degree, where I’m hoping to specialize in AI and Finance. I also enjoy rock climbing, ice skating, and drawing! 

Aisha Khatun is a graduate student at the University of Waterloo working on Creative applications of NLP. She loves NLP and Data. She can't help but analyze and discover the hidden stories in data. Her previous experience includes working as a Data Analyst at Wikimedia Foundation for over a year, before which she was an ML engineer at Therap. Text is everywhere but properly using them is an art. With the rise of language models, more and more NLP applications are seeing a wealth of improvement, but that is not enough. We need applications to be robust, truthful, and consistent. That is where her interest lies - using data to make applications that benefit all! 

Not sure what kind of career in tech you're looking for in the future? Torn between loving to code and build amazing products vs loving to speak with customers and being the liaison between teams? Join Kelly Kong and Lisa Han, 2 former Waterloo grads, as they discuss why they chose their respective paths and the differences in their day-to-day work. There will be plenty of time for a Q&A so please bring your questions!

Speakers:

Kelly Kong has been a Product Manager at Splunk for 3.5 years. She graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2019 from the Electrical Engineering program. In her free time, she enjoys long walks, roller skating, arts and crafts and reading epic fantasy novels.

Lisa Han is currently working at Splunk as a Software Engineer. She is a University of Waterloo alumnus (class of 2019) where she studied Computer Engineering. During her time at Waterloo, she did most of her co-ops in Software Engineering roles and started her full-time career as a Software Engineer at Splunk after she graduated. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, knitting/crocheting, and camping.

Join Amazonians to learn more about building the future of tech, our leadership principals, and why it is still Day 1 at Amazon.

Speakers: 

Satty Dhillon is a Canadian Migration Acceleration Program lead, working with Canadian businesses migrate to the AWS Cloud. Satty is a seasoned professional with over 20 years’ experience in multiple industries (i.e Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Governments, CPG, Cyber Security IT) and in varied roles, ranging from Sales, Project Manager, Change Manager, Practice Manager. 

Satty has her MBA and multiple industry certifications.  Satty enjoys mentoring University and High School students, helping to provide guidance and insights as to what industry typically requires and how to progress careers once you land your role. 

Sanja Frketich is a Software Development Manager on the Amazon Prime team. She is part of a team that innovates and builds large scale projects that are being used by millions of customers worldwide. Sanja has more than 15 years of experience in the software industry. She started her career in product support helping customers solve challenging technical problems. She has held various technical and leadership roles within the industry, and enhanced her software career working as a Software Testing Manager, Project Manager, Product Owner and Development Manager.  

Sanja is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) as well as a certified Coach. She mentors Computer Science university students and helps them gain valuable insight on how to build a successful career and leadership skills. Her goal is to ignite spark and encourage women to enter a technical field. She aspires to bring excitement about possibilities and career opportunities for women to further their technical career and make an impact in the world of technology.   

Outside of work, she loves to bake and spend time with her family, preferably outdoors, rain or shine.   

Faire presents Women in tech! Learn more about us through one of our female Directors via a live Q&A. Don't forget to come prepared with questions! 

Speakers: 

Yvonne Luo is the Eng Leader for the Expansion Pillar. Before transitioning into a leadership role, she worked across different parts of the tech stack (back-end, front-end, iOS). Before joining Faire, Yvonne worked as an Eng Leader on large 2-sided marketplaces such as Airbnb and Lyft, including launching the first vertical product, Airbnb Experiences, and leading a complex multi-service migration to build an extensible Payments Platform. As a leader, she's passionate about people development and has experience growing /managing organizations covering complex technical areas. Outside of work, she likes to climb and is an Airbnb Superhost. 

Do you have questions about internships and co-ops in computing? Want to hear from experienced students about how the application and interview really process works? Wondering how you will ever find a job? (Everyone worries about this!) Come and quiz upper-year WiCS students who have had several (diverse) internship experiences! 

Speakers: 

Hima Sheth is a third-year computer science student. This year she's excited to be interning at MongoDB in New York in the summer and going to Spain in the fall for her study abroad term! In her spare time, she likes editing videos from her trips and writing. She's excited to talk to you all about her experiences in the program and help answer any questions!! 

Nina Tan: Hi, I’m Nina! I’m heading into my 4A term of the computer science program. I’m originally from Montreal and started at UWaterloo after graduating from a CÉGEP in health sciences! I’ve previously interned at Hydro-Québec, Deloitte, and Google. I’m currently on co-op at Harvard University. In my spare time I love to learn languages, travel, and snowboard! 

Amy Li: Hi! I’m in 3A Computer Science, previously in Computer Science and Business Double Degree. I’ve done three software engineering co-ops, my most recent in San Francisco for Uber. Going to New York for Jane Street this summer. I’ve been on UW Blueprint (tech for social good) for over a year now. I’ve also been part of TechNova, Waterloo Business Review, Math Orientation, and Volleyball Intramurals. I am exploring intersections with CS and still looking for a home! Currently curious about urban planning, artificial general intelligence, and finance.  

Sissy He: I'm a second-year software engineering student at Waterloo doing my second coop - have experience in hardware and software development and have an interest in computer science in mathematics and the environment field. Working on getting my minor in CO & CM

Please join OpenText to learn how you can kickstart your career in Technical Project Management! Hear from OpenText’s Usha Talasila, Sr. Director, Technical Project Management, as they discuss what a career in technical project management looks like, point out potential opportunities in the field, offer career advice, and much more. 

Speaker: 

Usha Talasila is a Sr. Director at OpenText leading Technical Project Management teams for the Products and Cloud division. She has over 19 years of experience leading large cross-functional initiatives in designing, implementing, and supporting business solutions from start-ups to globally established organizations. Session C4 (Saturday 2:30PM ET)

Please join OpenText to learn how you can kickstart your career in Cloud Computing! Hear from OpenText’s Linda Shaffer, Sr. Manager, Software Engineering as they discuss career what a career in cloud computing looks like, point out potential opportunities in the field, share insights into their unique experiences as Women in Technology, and much more. 

Speaker: 

Linda Shaffer is a Sr. Software Development Manager for OpenText. She has worked in many different technical positions throughout her 28 years with OpenText in both Professional Services and Product Development Engineering. 

The conference will close with a stellar panel of women who hold technical roles at the various companies that sponsored WiCS Con. What enticed them to go into computing? What do they like most about their jobs now? What is the most unexpected obstacle they've had to face. What is a good thing to be afraid of? Come and hear their answers to these questions and ask questions of your own!

Panelists:

Bethany H. Saint Clair (she/her) (OpenText): is the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Programs. Bethany Saint Clair is from beautiful Seattle, Washington, USA and has a degree in Computer Engineering, certifications in The Path: Indigenous Canadian History and Culture Certification, Design Thinking Certification, Inclusive Leadership, Gender Partnership, and Race and Gender Equity in the Workplace. She is an engineer, entrepreneur and leader who has been leading transformative change for over 20 years across multiple sectors. She is currently a Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Programs at OpenText. She believes the path of love is how humanity will thrive and that the purpose of technology is to enable visions, drive productivity, and transform lives for the better.

Beryl Tomay (Amazon): is VP, Software Development for Last Mile Delivery. Beryl Tomay’s Amazon career began in 2004 with a fall internship, near the end of her time at UWaterloo. Shortly after graduating with a BMath, Computer Science (2005) degree, she returned to Amazon as a full-time software engineer. She was part of the original team who worked on the first Kindle. The success of the device meant the company ramped up its efforts to grow the product line, giving Beryl her first opportunity to try her hand at management. Since then, she has worked in many facets of the business and now leads Last Mile Delivery product, technology, science and business operations. Beryl has fond memories of her time at university, is proud of her technical accomplishments, and is a firm supporter of women in STEM leadership.

Elena Kingbo (Google): Elena Kingbo is a Product Manager at Google Canada. She is part of the Workspace Platform team building products that allow external developers to integrate with Google Workspace products and APIs. She manages the Google Workspace Marketplace, a store with thousands of business and learning productivity apps including integrations with Google Classroom. She studied Economics and Business Management, regrets not studying Computer science. She lived and worked in many different countries but fell in love and settled in Canada with her 3 kids - husband - dog family enjoying all things Canadian nature can offer: kayaking, hiking, skiing and more.

Amy Qiu is a Software Engineer at Meta. Amy is a Waterloo CS co-op '20 alumni. She interned at Microsoft, Google, Meta, Citadel and Deepmind. She is currently a backend engineer on the Facebook App Metrics team where she is working on enforcing logging correctness. Ask her about leveraging your network to find interesting internships and opportunities, long-term career goals as well as the best cities to work in! 

Haerin Lee is a Senior Product Manager at Zynga with a diverse background in the gaming, interactive storytelling, clean tech, and consulting industries. Currently, she’s working as a Senior product manager at Zynga, where she is focused on building an easy onboarding/integration experience for game teams to use Central services. Prior to her role at Zynga, Haerin also held a product management position at Pocket Gems, where she drove product visions for an interactive storytelling game, “Episode”. In her spare time, Haerin co-founded xxTALK, a community for women focused on understanding sex and their bodies. Haerin holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.E in Biomolecular & Chemical Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. 

Negar Farjadnia is the Senior Director, National Cybersecurity, and Modern Workplace Lead for Avanade Canada. She is an accomplished IT strategist with over 15 years’ experience in planning, developing, and implementing complex information technology solutions and software development. Prior to joining Avanade in 2018 she held various roles in retail, financial, telco and healthcare. Negar is a diversity advocate and is passion for innovation and helping others. In 2022 Negar was recognized by IT World Canada (ITWC) in association with the Canadian chapter of WISECRA as one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity. While not at work, she enjoys playing soccer, going to concerts and musicals and traveling around the world. 

Emily Huang is a Core Developer at HRT: Emily is a Core Developer at HRT and graduated from UW Software Engineering in 2022. At HRT, Emily works on connecting to markets to get data and send orders. She currently lives in NYC and enjoys exploring the vibrant culinary, artistic, and musical scenes.