GHC 2022 with WICS UCI!
Hello everyone! I’m Jaedyn Chang, a junior at UC Irvine majoring in Computer Science. I’m also part of (and the External Vice President of) an amazing club on campus called Women in Information and Computer Sciences, or WICS for short. WICS has consistently supported me throughout my college years, whether it’s staying connected with others through virtual school in 2020, providing familiar faces during my first year on campus in 2021, or just overall supporting me with my classes and career.
I was very excited to learn that GHC 2022 would have an in-person option! Being a virtual attendee during 2020 and 2021, I was interested in what the in-person experience would look like.
Day 1: Tuesday, September 20
Tuesday was an entire day of travel. Beginning at 4:30am, we shuttled over to the John Wayne airport to catch our flight. After around 5 hours of flying and a 3 hour layover in Houston, we were finally in Orlando, Florida.
We took Ubers to the hotel, and finally got to rest at around 10pm local time.
Day 2: Wednesday, September 21
Although Grace Hopper officially started on September 20, we were able to register early today. After registering, I waited in line to go to the Expo Hall.
It was honestly one of the coolest rooms that I’ve been in. I was expecting tables like any college or career fair that I’ve been to before, but this was something else. The companies there had their individualized booths, filled with people to talk to and, of course, merch to hand out!
Afterwards, I headed to a couple of sessions, namely “AI takes Autonomous Navigation to Mars and Beyond”, “Is Graduate School for You?”, and “Kickstart Your Career in Edge AI.” In these talks, I learned about how the Mars rover worked with AI to determine its location and detect objects, the different paths I can take after graduating from college, and learned about how Edge AI works and trained an AI model to detect the words “Grace Hopper” using voice samples from the participants in the room.
Although I’m still undecided on what exactly I’m doing after getting my bachelor’s degree, I’ve gained a new interest in AI and am super stoked to get a preview before taking my AI-focused classes this year!
After the conference, I was invited to go to a Goldman Sachs event at The Pub. Here, I met students from colleges all around America and got some helpful interviewing tips!
Afterwards, I went with WICS to Mia’s Italian Kitchen, where we got to wind down after a long day.
Day 3: Thursday, September 22
Day 3 began pretty late for me. I was already worn out from the previous 2 days, but I managed to make it back to the expo and connected with more professionals there.
I tried going into interpersonal talks like “Dare to be Authentic: Influence without Authority” but they filled up quickly, and the lines stretched across the Hyatt Regency hotel 30 minutes before the event.
During the evening, I was invited to the Google Experience event in Rosen Centre. There, I got to socialize with a variety of college students and professionals, and participated in fun activities, such as playing Guess the Line with Google AI, listening to YouTube wellness videos, and even getting my photo professionally taken!
After the long day, I was glad to be back in the hotel and get some sleep, especially since I was going to be travelling tomorrow.
Day 4: Friday, September 23
Day 4 was another entire day of travel. After checking out of the hotel at 9:30am, we made our way to the airport, flew back to Houston, then flew from Houston to Santa Ana, and finally shuttling from John Wayne Airport to UCI.
Tired and burdened with swag, we were glad to finally be back home!
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed my GHC 2022 experience. Although there were some hiccups along the way (such as missing the opening and closing ceremonies due to travel plans and getting relocated at another hotel during the first night), all of us made it to Orlando and back safely!
I was really glad to make some new friends and talk with people at the Grace Hopper Celebration. At the expo, I got some really helpful advice about career paths, and balancing work, school, and personal life! I’m excited to take my next steps during this school year, guided by all the advice that I received.
Until next time,
Jaedyn