Here's why you need to go to the Grace Hopper Conference (GHC):
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Meet people you never thought you needed to meet:
I always overlooked the whole "you get to meet like-minded people" until it happened to me. Ever since I got to the airport and started talking to fellow GHC attendees, I realized how few women in technology I actually knew and it was exciting having so many things in common. Also at GHC, I attended braindates (small group meetings) to meet both Korean women in tech as well as Christian women in tech, both groups that I am a part of. It had never occurred to me that I had never met a woman in tech who was Christian or Korean like I was before, and this was a very special experience knowing I wasn't alone in my subconscious struggles.
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See things you never thought you needed to see:
Visualizations are crucial in understanding the sheer volume of women in technology! At the career fair, seeing all the companies together also helped me realize that all these companies are working to increase the number of women and nonbinary people in technology, and that was empowering. You also get to practice on-the-spot interviews and practice networking!
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Have fun and make memories:
When else are you going to make friends with people from all over the world, travel the city with them, and go to afterparties in art galleries and museums? The merch is always fun to collect as well :).
- Catherine Kim, Software Engineering Student