Women In Tech Sweden at AWS re:Invent

AWS re:Invent—the world’s largest cloud event, with over 60,000 attendees—took place last week, December 1–6. Women In Tech Sweden was proud to be part of this incredible event, represented by our new social media specialist, Suzana Melo Moraes.

Suzana recently joined us to continue the fantastic social media work led by our amazing mom-to-be, Vanessa. Suzana brought her energy to Las Vegas and took us with her, diving into an intense agenda packed with technical sessions, workshops, inspiring keynotes with exciting announcements for the cloud world, and a variety of community-driven activities.

A Warm Welcome for Women in Tech

A day before the official event kickoff, Suzana organized a Women In Tech bus trip around Las Vegas for women from AWS community groups attending AWS re:Invent for the first time. This engaging activity was followed by a Women In Tech Lunch, bringing together women from diverse countries, including India, the Philippines, Ghana, Argentina, Brazil, Austria, Mexico, Australia, Armenia, and many more.

Creating Conversations That Matter

On the second day of AWS re:Invent, our Social Media Specialist hosted a Women In Tech Fireside Chat and Meetup, spotlighting the concerning statistics about women’s underrepresentation in tech, with even greater disparities for Asian, Black, and Latina women. The session featured insightful discussions about bias, microaggressions, and actionable ways companies can promote career development, mentorship, sponsorship, and equal opportunities for women.

Recognition and Representation

For Suzana, the week’s highlight and big surprise was receiving the EMEA Community Award for her work in Women in Tech and Inclusion. She proudly wore her Women In Tech Sweden t-shirt throughout the event, representing our team wherever she went.

Key Takeaways from AWS re:Invent

Suzana shared her reflections on this transformative experience, which she summarized into five key main points:

💡 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: From remarkable keynotes with exciting announcements about products like Amazon Aurora, Amazon S3, and CloudFront to various sessions full of insights, the learning opportunities were endless.

🤝 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: Energizing sessions for Community Builders and User Group Leaders, filled with insightful discussions and experience-sharing. These sessions weren’t just about learning but about shaping even better outcomes for our communities. Exciting times ahead!

💪 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Hosting and participating in meaningful Women in Tech activities and meetups surrounded by inspiring, powerful women, also representing Women In Tech Sweden, was simply fantastic and empowering.

🌟 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The unexpected EMEA award for her work in Women in Tech and inclusion left her feeling profoundly moved and motivated.

❤️ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: For Suzana, this was the heart of re:Invent. “Technical skills can always be learned, but the real power lies in networking, community, and friendship. These are the things that truly move us forward,” she said.