Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to speak at the Women in Tech Summit (WITS) here in Philadelphia.
The Women in Tech Summit (WITS), is a tech conference with all women speakers. It is a national series of events that inspires, educates and connects women in the technology industry. Its mission is to support the community of women currently working in technology and to spread the message that working in tech is not just about coding but about all aspects of careers in technology. The conference brings together women in many different types of careers in tech and at every level from students to senior executives.
The Women in Tech Summit provides attendees with a unique combination of hands-on tech workshops; information and discussions about diverse careers in tech and how to pursue them; and connection and networking opportunities with other women in various aspects and roles in technology.
The event had three programming tracks:
As a Developer Advocate at SAP, I was excited to represent my team and share my knowledge with other women in the tech industry. The track that I spoke on was the "Innovate Yourself" track. This focused on topics useful for career growth on both the technical and business sides of technology.
The conference was an amazing experience, and I had the chance to attend sessions led by some incredible speakers. Two speakers who stood out to me were Grace Francisco, CMO of Pangea, and Jillian Ivey, the Founder of Jilletante Creative. Grace spoke about why security has to shift left for developers in a world of increasingly methodical and organized cyber security threats, and Jillian Ivey discussed ChatGPT and how it is never going to replace the expertise or personality you can bring to thought leadership and other original content, and how to position yourself as better than a bot. Both speakers had such powerful messages and were so inspiring.
I was also excited to have the opportunity to speak on my own topic, "Bridging the Gap Between Intersectionality and Technology." It was a surreal experience to be up on stage, sharing my experiences and insights with other women in the tech industry. I talked about the importance of taking intersectionality into account when developing technology solutions and how it can lead to more inclusive and accessible technology for everyone. Focusing on intersectionality in your organization can be a catalyst for building a more diverse, skilled workforce. As a Muslim woman and a Developer Advocate, it was important to me to share my unique perspective and emphasize the need for diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry.
I also highlighted some key resources for anyone who is interested in starting their journey in software development, such as ABAP and the many resources SAP has to offer for anyone who is looking for beginner content on ABAP programming.
It was such an honor to have the opportunity to meet other women in tech and learn from their experiences. I was grateful to connect with women from all over the industry and share insights on the importance of diversity and inclusivity in tech.
Overall, attending and speaking at the Women in Tech Summit was a truly transformative experience. The conference emphasized the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry, and I was grateful to be a part of it. All in all, it was a great day of learning and networking. It's important to take care of our own learning, to meet and learn from other experts in the field. Looking forward to hopefully speaking again next year.
The Women in Tech Summit (WITS), is a tech conference with all women speakers. It is a national series of events that inspires, educates and connects women in the technology industry. Its mission is to support the community of women currently working in technology and to spread the message that working in tech is not just about coding but about all aspects of careers in technology. The conference brings together women in many different types of careers in tech and at every level from students to senior executives.
The Women in Tech Summit provides attendees with a unique combination of hands-on tech workshops; information and discussions about diverse careers in tech and how to pursue them; and connection and networking opportunities with other women in various aspects and roles in technology.
The event had three programming tracks:
- Innovate Yourself – provides audience members an opportunity to develop skills and learn from the experience and expertise of other women working in tech.
- Trends in Technology – provides audience members an opportunity to learn more about a specific technology topic. These sessions focus on some of the new things happening in and with technology. Attendees will come away from these sessions with an understanding of these trends and their applicability, as well as a working knowledge of the terminology relative to the trend.
- Hands-on Workshops – The hands-on workshops provide audience members with practical experience in a given topic. Workshops are exercise and/or project based and provide either an elementary overview or a deep-dive into a particular technology topic.
As a Developer Advocate at SAP, I was excited to represent my team and share my knowledge with other women in the tech industry. The track that I spoke on was the "Innovate Yourself" track. This focused on topics useful for career growth on both the technical and business sides of technology.
The conference was an amazing experience, and I had the chance to attend sessions led by some incredible speakers. Two speakers who stood out to me were Grace Francisco, CMO of Pangea, and Jillian Ivey, the Founder of Jilletante Creative. Grace spoke about why security has to shift left for developers in a world of increasingly methodical and organized cyber security threats, and Jillian Ivey discussed ChatGPT and how it is never going to replace the expertise or personality you can bring to thought leadership and other original content, and how to position yourself as better than a bot. Both speakers had such powerful messages and were so inspiring.
Grace Francisco, CMO of Pangea
Jillian Ivey, Founder of Jilletante Creative
I was also excited to have the opportunity to speak on my own topic, "Bridging the Gap Between Intersectionality and Technology." It was a surreal experience to be up on stage, sharing my experiences and insights with other women in the tech industry. I talked about the importance of taking intersectionality into account when developing technology solutions and how it can lead to more inclusive and accessible technology for everyone. Focusing on intersectionality in your organization can be a catalyst for building a more diverse, skilled workforce. As a Muslim woman and a Developer Advocate, it was important to me to share my unique perspective and emphasize the need for diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry.
Mamikee Kanneh, SAP Developer Advocate
I also highlighted some key resources for anyone who is interested in starting their journey in software development, such as ABAP and the many resources SAP has to offer for anyone who is looking for beginner content on ABAP programming.
It was such an honor to have the opportunity to meet other women in tech and learn from their experiences. I was grateful to connect with women from all over the industry and share insights on the importance of diversity and inclusivity in tech.
Hands-On Session
Overall, attending and speaking at the Women in Tech Summit was a truly transformative experience. The conference emphasized the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry, and I was grateful to be a part of it. All in all, it was a great day of learning and networking. It's important to take care of our own learning, to meet and learn from other experts in the field. Looking forward to hopefully speaking again next year.
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