Mirkeya's Blog - A bit of everything!

You may be asking yourself….What to pack, what to bring, oh man!!   Any help anyone?   Well, I think I can help you with that!   Here are a couple of tips to get you ready for the conference: Tip #1: Pack comfortable clothes and check the weather.   Start by counting the number of days you plan to stay in Minneapolis. If you are planning to attend several events during the day, you’ll probably want to bring clothes you can mix and match to make multiple outfits.   I find this very handy when I want to change my look.   Most importantly, don’t forget to pack clothes appropriate for the weather. Depending on your style, you can wear casual or business casual.   As weird as it may sound, I don’t like wearing jeans or sneakers.   I love my high heels ….I always bring my mid-high shoes and flat shoes.    Tip #2: Bring business cards; make sure to pack plenty! If you don’t have any, you can use MS Word to create your...

There are many ways to participate at 2013 Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference. You can submit a panel discussion, a Birds of a Feather (BoF), a workshop, or a research poster.  In addition, you can apply for Tapia's scholarship, which covers most of the costs. Therefore, there is no reason for you not to apply!!  So hurry and start preparing your submission and application. Where: Washington, D.C. When: February 7-10, 2013 Participation Deadline: November 25, 2012 Scholarship Deadline: November 25, 2012 Below is an excerpt from the email:   1) Propose a Panel Discussion : Panels can focus on technical areas or issues related to increasing diversity in the field of computing and should lead to in-depth discussions. Panel proposals must be submitted  by Sunday, Nov. 25 .   2) Plan a Birds of a Feather (BoF) Session:  A BoF proposal should include an abstract on the topic of the se...

It has been a week since my attendance to Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing 2012 in Baltimore, MD. It was "as always" an amazing experience. This year, there were about 3,600 technical women in attendance, another breaking record for GHC! The conference was full of great sessions and activities. Some of my favorite sessions were: Senior Women's Summit, Finding your Career Sweet Spot, Coping and Mentoring Mechanisms for Women from Underrepresented Groups, Speed Mentoring, Juggling Our Different Worlds, and others. I had the opportunity to facilitate the Speed Mentoring session with Dilma Da Silva. We had about 100 people in the session. This was a success thanks to the mentors and mentees who participated in the session.     This year, I volunteered at the community table for Latinas in Computing (LiC)  where I had the chance to speak to Latinas about the group and what LiC does.  I also shared the communi...

Since 2007, I have been a faithful attendee to Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC)- only missing two (2008 and 2010).  At first, I didn't know what to expect since I have never attended a conference like this before. I was shy and soft-spoken. Let's say that I was the complete opposite of who I am today. So I was just planning to go along for the ride. Well, what happened next was quite unexpected. Attending the Latinas in Computing  (LiC) session, “ Successful Latinas Opening Doors to the Future: Advancing Latinas in Computing” at GHC 2007 ( Theme : I Invent the Future ) had a great impact on me. The panel featured six distinguished Latinas from industry and academia discussing and sharing their personal and professional experiences. The session was very powerful and inspirational. I left the room highly motivated wanting to conquer the world - no words could describe how I felt. The discussion in this panel was inspiring, supportive, and just ama...

The Latinas in Computing (LiC) community was formed with the help of the Anita  Borg Insitute for Women inTechnology (ABI)  after a Birds of a Feather session at the 2006 Grace Hopper Conference . Since then, members have been organizing various panels and Birds of a Feather sessions every year targeted specifically for Latinas who are qualified as double minorities in the computing field. This year, Latinas in Computing has joined forces with leaders of other underrepresented communities such as Black Women in Computing, Native Americans and People with Disabilities and have put together the Women of Underrepresented Groups (WURG) Track. The track's sessions are tailored at addressing challenges specific to double minorities. Below is an interview to Anamary Leal , member of Latinas in Computing, and a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Virginia Tech. Anamary is a Grace Hopper veteran and she shares with us what motivates her to attend GHC and the importance of s...

This year has been very exciting and I hope you come by the Latinas in Computing Community Table and say " hello ".  As part of the organizing committee for Women of Under-represented Group (WURG) , I invite you to join us at the different sessions scheduled on Thursday, Oct.4th .  For more details, see agenda . Looking forward to meeting everyone at Grace Hopper !! And don't forget to bring your business cards, resumes, and flat shoes !! Cheers, Mirkeya