Experience at GHCI 2019
Yay! I got a Google travel grant for GHCI. But wait, do you know about GHCI?
The Grace Hopper Celebration (India) of Women in Computing is a series of conferences designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. It is the world’s largest gathering of women in computing.
So, getting back to where I was — I received an e-mail that gave me the opportunity to attend GHCI 2019. Google is a proud sponsor of Grace Hopper Celebration India and I am very delighted that I received a travel grant from Google. I was literally jumping with happiness because this meant a lot to me. To connect with women in tech from all across the nation, to attend the sessions and to meet fellow scholars — something that was lacking for so long.
Since we got a travel grant we didn’t need to take care of anything related to travel and accommodations. Moreover, we got a cab from our home to the airport. Thank you anitab.org for having such amazing things planned for us.
The first day started with keynotes followed by so many sessions divided into various tracks running simultaneously. Tech talks and Career fair went throughout the whole three days. The snacks and lunch provided at the venue were a foodie’s paradise especially the desserts.
The best thing I liked was the silent conferences. It helped maximize the use of the space. It gave the ability to have more speakers in the same hall or time slot, without the need for separate breakout rooms or large spaces. We can go to any session and switch the channel to the right room.
The other new thing I used was the portable free charging i.e. free power banks on the go by Plugo. It’s India’s first smart & fully automated power bank rental service. The network of internet-connected vending terminals to dispense power banks. Otherwise, you know the battery life of old iPhones, I would have died without it!
On the second day, we (travel grant recipients) were invited to engage and network with Googlers at Taj Yeshwantpur near the poolside. This was followed by another reception hosted by Google in partnership with Women Techmakers where there were a lot of other GHCI attendees. We were served with delicious food and drinks.
They introduced us to the projects which are a huge success in Google along with the team members. It was so good to meet them in person. Won’t you ask the GPay team member about the empty scratch cards? Yeah, right? And about that rangoli stamp? Hell Yeah!
My three days at GHCI went switching halls for different sessions, finding my way through a huge crowd of more than 4000 women techies, meeting fellow scholars and hunting goodies in the career fair. On one of the days, I opted for Speed mentoring session where we gathered in groups and were guided by expertise women in tech. This session was a motivation-booster.
It was time to say goodbye. I never knew that I would be left with amazing friends and my luggage would double up during the return journey.
Thank you GHCI and Anitab.org for all of this. Thank you!
