Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - The antidote for doubt: Forging your voice and building your community (IDE111)

Summary

La'Davia Drain, the leader of inclusion, diversity, and equity for AWS, hosts a session with Mary Law, APJ data enablement lead and president of AWS SheBuilds, and Maria Tamalini, co-founder and COO of Gamer Safer.
Maria shares her journey from working on UN sustainable goals in Latin America to co-founding Gamer Safer, which combats fraud and toxic behavior in online gaming, impacting 15 million players across 67 countries.
Mary discusses her data-driven career at AWS, her role in SheBuilds, and the importance of creating an inclusive environment for underrepresented communities in tech.
Both speakers differentiate between mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching, emphasizing the transformative power of sponsorship in their careers.
They discuss the importance of community, belonging, and creating safe spaces in the workplace and beyond.
The speakers advise on finding and contributing to communities that resonate with personal and career goals, and the significance of knowing and using one's superpowers for the benefit of the community.
The session concludes with a call to action for attendees to seek out community, mentorship, and sponsorship, and to be resilient and persistent in their career journeys.

Mentorship and sponsorship are crucial for career development, with sponsorship being particularly impactful as it involves someone putting their reputation on the line to open doors for another person.
Building a community and finding a sense of belonging are essential for personal and professional growth, especially in industries where one might feel like an outsider.
The concept of "paying it forward" is a recurring theme, highlighting the importance of giving back to the community and supporting others' growth.
Understanding and leveraging one's superpowers can be a key strategy in making meaningful contributions to a community and advancing one's career.
The advice to "bring your full self to work" is considered incomplete without the context of finding a workplace where one's authentic self is celebrated and welcomed.
The session underscores the importance of resilience and challenging oneself to step out of comfort zones to achieve personal and professional growth.
The speakers' experiences and advice reflect a broader movement within the tech industry to foster diversity, inclusion, and equity, both within companies and in the products and services they create.