Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Huma Hamid10:31 PM 0 comments

Photo Credits: GHC13

It was year 2010 when I was first introduced to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing by a friend living in the US. I was back in Pakistan then. As a strong believer of a community based culture, which allows people with similar vision, yet diversified strengths to connect with each other and achieve a common goal, I was very excited to hear about such an amazing and prestigious community gathering of women in computing. I spent that whole day trying to know more about  the GHC conferences, different groups and activities, and the Anita Borg Institute.  The more I knew, the more excited I got. 

It was not possible for me to attend the conference that year, so I decided to volunteer as a reviewer for their poster competition. Luckily, I was able to become part of the reviewing team, and it turned out to be wonderful experience. I not only got to see amazing work by some talented female students, but also quickly learnt that how well GHC promotes and encourages young female students to unleash their talent through such competitions. How many times do we get such opportunities, where the aim is not to judge what we cannot do, but to encourage what we can do, and guide us to do better. 

Like many other females in the field of computing, I was looking for that one common platform which could celebrate my achievements, address my concerns and guide me forward. GHC has offered it all. GHC's sessions and activities truly reflect both the achievements and the challenges faced by female students and professionals in today's computing industry, around the globe. Intensity of these challenges may vary for different regions, yet they are of similar nature. 

After moving to the US, I have been trying to be part of this celebration for a couple of years. Finally, this year it actually became possible for me to attend the full 3-day conference. This year's GHC will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, the land of famous Grand Canyons. In the next few posts I will be sharing some exciting activities I have signed up for. Watch out this space for more details. For those are new to the GHC, follow the link to know more about this year's conference. #GHC14.