From Dream to Reality, My Journey to AWS re:Invent 2024
Posted on November 29, 2024 • 7 min read • 1,340 words
Hello everyone, let me introduce myself. My name is Nova, and I have been an AWS Community Builder since 2021 (Year 4).
I’m a mom with a dream of attending the largest cloud conference (re:Invent) in Las Vegas, a goal I’ve held since 2021. This time, I’ll be sharing a flashback of my journey towards attending re:Invent 2024.
My Journey
I have dreamed of attending the conference directly for four years, but it seemed that in 2021, I wasn’t brave enough to register because of the pandemic, and my child was only 3 years old at the time. Then, in 2022, I tried to apply for the All Builder Welcome Grant, which offered a free re:Invent ticket, round-trip flight, and hotel, but I was unsuccessful. However, I carefully noted all the questions to use or evaluate in the following year.
my wallpaper in 2022
Here are the questions for 2023 (which may change in subsequent years):
- Have you faced barriers or disadvantages in your technology career due to discrimination?
- Please list your technology-related education, training or coursework history, both formal and/or informal .For each entry, please include name of the school or organization, degree or certificate earned or sought, and major or course of study.
- Please list your technology-related work or intern experience: or each entry, please include employer name, job title, and tech-related responsibilities.
- Tell us about your technology-related personal and/or professional activities and accomplishments. This can include certifications, awards, clubs, or any other technology-related activity. Please limit your response to 500 words.
- What are your technology-related career plans and professional goals? What are you hoping to gain or learn from attending re:Invent ?Please limit your response to 500 words.
- What is your experience using AWS products and services and/or other technical experience? If you are new to tech, please describe your tech-related aspirations and plans over the next 6–12 months. Please limit your response to 500 words.
- What personal or professional accomplishment are you most proud of? Please limit your response to 500 words.
Key points
- Carefully review the questions and answer with keywords that directly address what is being asked.
- Since I already know the questions and have many personal/paid AWS-related projects to discuss during the 2022–2023 period, I can explain more clearly and measurably.
- “You can’t get lucky if you don’t practice.” I learned a lot from my friend about good writing techniques. I followed his writing patterns and developed my own style. Essentially, I’ve been practicing and refining my writing for 2–3 years, so now I’m just waiting for luck to strike.
It turned out that in 2023, the email I was hoping for finally arrived
However, I ultimately decided not to attend because my husband (who is also an AWS Community Builder, Year 3), our 5-year-old child, and I had plans to move to the Netherlands. My husband had secured a new job there, and managing the visa and relocation logistics from Indonesia to a 4-season country like the Netherlands was incredibly complex. Moreover, I didn’t have a US visa, which would require time to schedule an interview. We decided that I would defer my attendance from re:Invent 2023 to 2024.
I was quite disappointed because I had been waiting to attend re:Invent for three years, but life sometimes takes unexpected turns. Fortunately, the All Builders Welcome (ABW) grant team allowed me to defer to 2024.
In 2023, AWS representatives Natalia and Carlie contacted me to create two videos about my journey to achieving my dream and the process behind it. These videos can be viewed below:
It turned out that making the videos took a long time, and ironically, we encountered numerous ‘interruptions’ from crowing roosters and neighbors constructing their house. So funny!
People behind my AWS video, thank you!
My friend who attended re:Invent 2023 told me that my video was actually shown at the conference. How interesting! I missed attending re:Invent, but my video made it there.
Journey to Obtaining a US Visa in Amsterdam
- In 2024, knowing that securing an interview appointment takes considerable time, I carefully filled out the DS-190 form, and I received an interview schedule two months after submitting the form.
- Before that, I had already gained an understanding of the potential questions that would be asked, so I practiced in advance. Despite having a letter from AWS confirming my grant, there was no guarantee that my visa would be immediately approved.
Visa letters to US Embassy
So, here is a list of commonly asked questions:
- What is the purpose of your trip to the United States?
- Who is your sponsor in the U.S., and what is your relationship with them?
- How long do you plan to stay in the United States?
- What specific business activities will you be conducting during your stay?
- What is your current employment status and position in your home country?
- Do you have a return ticket to your home country?
- Where will you be staying during your visit to the U.S.?
- Do you have any family members in the United States?
At the Amsterdam embassy, the staff were extremely friendly (contrary to what I’d heard), and amusingly, I accidentally had a screwdriver in my bag (sharp objects are prohibited), haha… it belonged to my husband for his bicycle, and the bag was placed in a locker.
- The queue was incredibly long and slow, so be prepared to stand for about an hour before finally reaching one of the three interview windows. The voices around were so clear that you could hear whether the people next to you were getting their visas approved or rejected. When my turn came, I was asked exactly the questions I had prepared for. Within just a few minutes, the staff member said my visa was approved, and they kept my passport to be collected later in Nieuwegein.
- I went home feeling overjoyed. A week later, I picked up my passport near Utrecht, in Nieuwegein, with the visa sticker already in place.
my visa
After obtaining the visa, I began preparing for re:Invent 2024.
email from ABW Grant Team
Preparation from ABW Grant Team
- Creating a re:Invent account using the same email used for the ABW Grant application.
- Registering for the hotel with the re:Invent account, with the ABW grant accommodating me at the Treasure Island Hotel, right in front of the Venetian Hotel.
- Coordinating with the third-party travel service, ITS Travel, to match flight schedules (from Schiphol, Amsterdam to Las Vegas, and return).
- Planning activities and scheduling social interactions during re:Invent.
I hope to gain extensive knowledge, make new friends, and collect some swag while there (book, kindle, the most swag that I want). I’m also targeting to secure a new job in the Netherlands by 2025, preferably with a hybrid work model (two days in the office). I hope to find the connections, mentors, and opportunities I’m seeking, and I wish the same for my readers.
My journey to re:Invent has indeed been a long one, and it will finally happen in 2024. However, looking at the broader timeline, I think God knew the best timing — when my child is in elementary school, aged over 6, and mature enough to understand.
I can confidently say I’m fortunate to have a partner/husband who understands my dreams. We’ve been married for over 9 years, and he fully supports my endeavors. Even though he’ll be alone with our child during re:Invent, he has excellent parenting skills. This allows me to attend the conference with peace of mind.
One more thing: since I aspire to work in cloud-related fields (in medium level), I need to grind every day. With a physics background, not computer science, I sometimes lack confidence in expressing myself. That’s why I started a YouTube video channel to improve my English and practice live coding. My re:Invent experience will also be featured on my channel. Stay tuned!
studywithnova
Okay, thank you for reading! If you have any questions, please leave a comment.
Warm greetings from cold Netherlands,
Nova