WITI’s 24th Annual Women in Technology Summit

I took another long break from writing on this blog for many reasons – while the obvious one would be that I’ve been very busy with work and my other engagements, I think that more than that, there just hasn’t been a new bag model in the past year that really caught my eye or my heart. I haven’t found my next “handbag love”. On a deeper level, I still have not been able to fully rekindle my passion for handbags since my Dad’s passing. My love affair with handbags experienced a short-lived revival last year, but that didn’t last. In less than six months,  it will be the second year since his death,  and I still find myself grieving. It’s different from when it was still fresh,  but I find myself dealing with it still. Death affects people in different ways – I knew my Dad’s would hit me hard,  but I don’t think even I knew how difficult it would be.

But life goes on – it must. And today I find myself inspired to write a blog post after not doing so in a year.  It has nothing to do with bags (sorry,  my fellow purse enthusiasts), but it is pretty fantastic news.  I was officially told about it on my birthday of all days, so it made my birthday this year extra special indeed: I received an invitation to speak at the 24th Annual Women in Technology Summit happening in San Jose, California a few months from now (in June)! I of course feel very honored, especially since I will be with such an esteemed group of people such as the Global Vice President for Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Innovation at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and the Planning and Sequencing Subsystem Manager for the next Mars mission launching in 2020. Those are just a few examples – each speaker and panelist has a wealth of valuable insight and experience to share, and I am just flattered to be a part of such a distinguished group of speakers  and panelists on this global stage.

Being recognized for my experience and contributions in my field in this manner is humbling and exciting at the same time. I must say – I cannot wait to meet all the passionate and engaged women and men at the summit! This recognition and opportunity is especially meaningful to me since supporting women’s advancement  in STEM is a personal crusade of mine. I admire the organization behind this summit (WITI – Women in Technology International) a great deal because of their dedication in promoting the growth and advancement of women “by providing access to – and support from – other professional women working in all sectors of technology”.  WITI’s mission is “to empower women worldwide to achieve unimagined possibilities and transformations through technology, leadership and economic prosperity”. If my participation in the 24th Annual Women in Technology Summit will help in any way,  then I am only too happy to know I am contributing to such a worthy vision.

And with that,  I end this blog post. Love and light to all – may our journeys prove fruitful and fulfilling despite the heartaches and loss we experience along the way. My own journey is one I try to live as fully as possible by indulging all my passions as much as I can,  no matter how unusual the combination may seem to some – my family, software development and Scrum, music, and yes – handbags.

Perhaps some time in the near future I will post about handbags again! Catch you soon (I hope)!