As a graduating senior, I already had a job lined up before going to the conference, but I was still able to network with many other professionals in my field and gain invaluable confidence and skills through the large variety of talks and workshops I attended there. “ GHC was an unforgettable experience for me, and I am incredibly grateful that I was able to attend along with so many of my fellow women in the UD CIS department. For this conviction, this experience – the friends I made and knowledge I gained – thank you. I can’t begin to describe what these words meant to me – especially Vivienne Ming’s “If you want an amazing life, give it to someone else.” All the uncertainty I had ever felt till this point in my life was displaced by this conviction- this is what I want to do and I am absolutely capable of doing it. All of those keynote speakers – established and rising women in tech – swore by this idea of being unrelentingly committed to a plan, having unshakable conviction in a purpose and uncompromising faith in yourself and the universe working things out. And while there was no absence of great innovative ideas, I found myself taking something else from the experience. As someone who wants to pursue a career in assistive technologies – using tech for social good – I hoped to get inspired by revolutionary ideas to help people. Meeting classmates who’ve felt the same and all those other women at GHC who were driven to be empowered and empower others was a magical experience. Now, as a senior I like to think I’ve found my voice but that feeling of uncertainty still persists. The male-dominated classrooms gave me a pause – filled me with uncertainty and questions about whether I would belong. This fear wasn’t because of the subject – I was certain of my passion for it before I chose my major. I went to an all-girls school for most of my life, and I still remember how intimidated I felt in my first computer science class. “Thank you so much for making our trip to GHC possible! It was an amazing experience – starting right from meeting some girls from my major for the first time.

Ice breakers hannah grace