I signed up for GHC 2022 largely out of curiousity – for what networking in industry feels like, for what paths there may be tech, and of course, for a trip down to Orlando. However, I walked away with much more, as GHC turned into a pivotal experience of both my 2B term and my undergrad here at the University of Waterloo.
GHC was my first glimpse into how vast the tech industry is. I spent my days talking to companies and listening in to keynotes and workshops, and my evenings at company dinners and exploring snippets of Orlando. A lot of these memories are blurring together now, but what I’ll always carry are the relationships I’ve built.
Having spent most of my undergrad thus far online, it felt surreal to meet all these women, each with different experiences and backgrounds. Whether standing in line at a company booth or trying to decipher some fancy-looking food at a dinner, I listened to a myriad of different stories throughout the few days and found comfort in all the hopes and vulnerabilities we shared. And to think, this is merely a fragment of people that share some of the same dreams as me.
I met most of the Waterloo girls the day we departed, and yet, two days later, we were unloading our biggest insecurities and struggles with each other, both in and out of tech. GHC feels like an endless pool of opportunity, and with that often felt fast and overwhelming. I found a lot of grounding in my friends, as we celebrated each other’s highs, supported each other’s lows, and shared all of the experiences and learnings we found. This trip introduced me to some of my favourite people, and to this day, we all still keep up with each other. For me, GHC lasted far beyond the 5-day trip, in the community we built: I’ve made some friends I’ll hold onto for a long time.