Phoummala Schmitt presents: Beyond the 1's and 0's: The human side of tech (30-minutes) In the era of digital transformation, IT professionals are tasked with doing more and staying connected at an ever increasing rate. The technology industry is the fastest changing industry, but the often-overlooked part of this industry is the humans who work with the technology. Humans are not robots, though some may feel or think that we are. There are many facets to humans; we are the most complex machine there is, yet we have the most difficult time understanding and taking care of ourselves. In this session we discuss some of the challenges that impact many in the IT workforce, such as work-life balance, soft skills, and imposter syndrome, and solutions for overcoming them. Lindiwe Matlali presents: Animation in VR for non-designers (30-minutes) Animation in VR is gaining a lot of traction but can be very tricky for newbies who may not know where to start. During this session, thirteen-year-old Karabo and her mother Lindiwe share how to get started and some great tools for "non-designers" through a VR game Karabo created. Lindiwe also demonstrates the crucial role and influence that moms have in getting girls to pursue STEM careers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1lSR83cS5E