Attending re:Invent in Las Vegas with the All Builders Welcome Grant
To say that I am beyond grateful to have been awarded the AWS All Builders Welcome Grant is an understatement. Being flown out to Las Vegas and having both the accommodation and conference ticket covered to learn all about AWS and Generative AI is something I could have only dreamed about.
The grant bridges the gap between the status quo and the future of cloud by elevating marginalised voices, magnifying innovative contributions, and building an environment where we see underrepresented groups included in tech.
Participants have access to five days of re:Invent content and activities as well as a curated program designed to remove barriers and create opportunities for learning, career growth, and community building, including a welcome event, reserved seating in the keynotes, meetups, a mentoring luncheon with AWS leadership, and much more.
A huge shout out to the STEM Babe for posting about this opportunity!
The ABW grant fostered a great sense of belonging for me. It was a bit daunting going into this not knowing anyone AND being so far from home (with an 8 hour time difference on top of that, yes the jet lag was real).
Walking around the venues, I would spot fellow grantees by our iconic and exclusive bags and badges and whenever I striked up a conversation, it was met with openness and it was amazing to learn more about them and what they’ll be getting up to during the conference.
All Builders Grant badge
We also had a Slack channel which was a great place to keep up to date with where people were going, cool things to check out at the Expo, and to meet and connect with others on the grant.
I was very fortunate enough to meet some amazing ladies on the first day of the conference and we continued to meet throughout the week:
I’ll be honest, I have NEVER been to any conference of this magnitude before. There were over 5 venues where the talks where being held and a shuttle bus that helped us to get around. You can imagine how many things I ended up missing due to clashes, and having to choose between leaving early to some talks or being late to get to another.
It was overwhelming, I may or may not have been running around like a headless chicken, but having people around to help made all the difference. Every corner you’d turn, they would be someone in a yellow top to ask a question to to get some help with directions and insights into when the shuttles were going to leave.
I saw some of the most entertaining stands at the expo - raffles where people would win things such as airpods, kindles, PS5 etc. Also TONNES of swag, food, beverages, loads of opportunities to learn about sponsors of the event. One even had their own signature Elvis Presley - he was iconic!!
To my utter surprise, there were a lot of opportunities to play some games. Whether that was the vintage-styled arcade games, arts and crafts, or driving simulation - there were a whole lot of different things to keep people entertained across the venues.
Speaking of entertainment, we have got to talk about the parties! We had the All Builders Welcome Reception at TAO and let’s just say it was pure vibes and energy. They played a mix of afrobeats, hip hop, and more with some fun songs in there too. This was hands down my favourite night of the experience.
We also had re:Play which had Major Lazer bringing the energy to close the conference in the night!
Ok enough about the parties, they also provided some plenty of other opportunities for us to connect - we had a mentoring luncheon where we had an AWS mentor and sponsor on each table. The food was incredible and the conversations we had were even better.
I have to say, it felt pretty VIP to have our own dedicated room for those on the grant program. It was the place to connect and attend our exclusive sessions which included sessions such as a day in the life panel, the importance of emotional intelligence, how generative AI is being used at AWS and AWS CloudUp for Her Panel.
I learned about the various programs that AWS has to offer such as She Builds, how generative AI is changing the future of work and how we must consider using it ethically (plus the introduction to Amazon Q as new type of generative AI assistant specifically for work - cool but also scary), plus I learned a lot about the different projects that various teams have been working on.
It was sad when it came to the end, it was weird saying goodbyes. We had the closing reception where we were joined by AWS CEO, Adam Selipsky, and he shared a few words about what diversity means to him and the journey he has been on to learn more about it. This was followed by a pass the mic round where people shared how their experience was at the conference with some insights into their own personal stories.
If it wasn’t already abundantly clear - I had the time of my life! Lots of new learnings and connections. I’m so thankful for the AWS team for putting on this showstopper of an event.
