We were all really disappointed to hear the announcement from AnitaB.org that there would no longer be a virtual career fair. As someone who found their internship and now full-time opportunity at GHC I know how crushing it is to hear this so close to the start of the conference.

I waited to write this article until I had some idea of how the conference would be adapted now that the old platform would no longer be used to host the conference and after Day 1 I’m bringing you all of the helpful links and advice that I think will help you stand out at this year’s vGHC.

Logging-In:

To log-in to the virtual Grace Hopper Celebration go to www.gracehoppercelebration.com your log-in details should have been sent in an email, but in case you didn’t get the email — your username will be the email you used to register for the conference and your password will be the registration confirmation you received after registering for the conference. If you don’t have this, then try to reset your password using the email you used to register for the conference.

Navigating the virtual site — NOTE: All times are in Pacific Time Zone!

I am listing the times here as they are on the site which is in the Pacific Time Zone! I found it helpful to keep a schedule in my local timezone so that I’m not doing mental math and confusing the time difference and potentially missing something I was excited to tune into. You can use this time zone converter to map all the times to your local time zone — be sure you use San Francisco or PT on the left and convert to your local timezone!

There are a few really important links on the main site. To the left you should see a bunch of menu options that link to the different areas of the virtual conference. I’m going to give an overview of the links I find the most helpful and have explored myself. This is not a comprehensive summary of the virtual site!

Agenda - This agenda is split into a full agenda which also includes the Live Stage agenda and the time frames for workshops, poster session and mentoring. Note: you will NOT find specific talk/panel/workshop agendas under this tab.

Live Stage - the live stage is where you will be able to watch the Keynote talks LIVE. All you need to do is at the start of the keynote click on this link and you should be able to view the livestream. I’ve compiled all the dates and times for the keynote.

You can also find this agenda under Agenda -> Live Stage Agenda

Wednesday September 30th

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM PT Keynote: Abie Award Winner Ceremony

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM PT Keynote: Delivering the Future of High-Performance Computing

Thursday, October 1st

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM PT Keynote: Becoming Chief Troublemaker with Marin Croak

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM PT Keynote: Ellen Pao

Friday, October 2nd

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM PT Keynote: Closing Acknowledgement and Awards

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM PT vGHC Virtual Dance Party!

Workshops - This is where where you will navigate to in order to join a workshop. A lot of people who pre-registered are unable to attend due to the fact that there’s no way to reinforce pre-registration and these workshops are hosted on Zoom which has a maximum capacity of 500. Please try to be considerate when attending workshops and drop off if you’re not pre-registered! Also try to think about dropping off if it’s not a session you’re genuinely going to participate in so your spot can go to someone who is interested.

I am leading my workshop Make Your Visions Come True: Creating Your 5-Year Career Virtual Vision Board on Saturday at 9AM PT! I know that not all workshops will be recorded due to the interactive nature so it’s really important to give those who are genuinely interested a chance to participate!

Recruitment - I think this is really important! It has a list of all companies and their respective application links. This is a great resource for those of you looking for a job and I would check back frequently since yesterday there were Zoom links and other virtual booths that companies were using to talk to students.

Sessions - Under the sessions tab you will find the specific dates for the conference. Here you will find a link to ALL the talks and panels happening on a given day. The best part is it’s organized by the time that the talk starts so you can navigate through and watch them in real time. I highly recommend checking this tab out first and creating a schedule (remember to convert from PT to your local timezone!)

REMEMBER: workshops are NOT listed under the sessions - this is only for talks and workshops! In order to see the workshop schedule you must navigate to the workshop page.

Publicize your GHC Attendance

If you haven’t already - be sure to include #vGHC #GHC #GHC2020 #TogetherWeBuild hashtags on your social media posts or in your LinkedIn profile! You can also use these great Anita B social media templates to let your network know that you’re attending the conference!

Network with Other Attendees

Use the networking tab to join Zoom rooms with other attendees who have similar interests! It can be a great chance to get to know others and make a new connection!

Enjoy the Conference!

Even though this is not the GHC we all imagined and there have been a lot of last minute changes, you can still make the most of this conference! All of the talks will be available for two months afterwards so you can watch at your leisure AND you have the benefit of being able to watch in your PJs on the couch! There are so many incredible women to meet and topics to learn about so really take this opportunity to make the most of this conference.