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We hope you were able to attend the Humans of IT sessions at Microsoft Build 2021! If you missed the live sessions, no worries! Read on for a recap and links to view the sessions on demand.


 


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Over 70,000 software engineers and web developers from all over the world came together virtually for a 48-hour event that was jam packed with topics covering Windows, Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft technologies. Humans of IT had the opportunity to have 5 sessions over the course of this event, covering topics that aligned with the human side of developing and highlighted people using tech for good.


 


Microsoft Build: Day 1 (Tuesday, May 25)


 


Microsoft Teams bot technology: Enabling easier access to information and helps solve communication gaps between HR and employees


 


The Humans of IT sessions within the Connection Zone kicked off with Thao Le and Nirupa Kalathur discussing how the BabyBot can enable easier access to information and help solve communication gaps between HR and employees. Thao began the session explaining  what exactly the BabyBot does and how it can be used followed by sharing a heartwarming video, highlighting the benefits of the bot. Nirupa finished the session with a demo before taking some time to answers questions from the audience.


 


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 What viewers thought of this session: 



  • “Baby Bot was eye-opening! I found myself thinking of all the ways it would be beneficial to use w/in my own company. New Hire Bot, New Manager/Lead Bot, just so many places it would be useful and much more user friendly for how people think vs placing documents or handbooks or on a SharePoint site”

  • “This was a good session with powerful insight on how to connect HR with employees. I am excited to see what else the bot can do for HR and other departments.”


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Code for good with GiveCamp


 


Jay Harris and Chris Koenig wrapped up Day 1 of the Humans of IT sessions and taught attendees about how they can use their developer skills to give back with GiveCamp. Chris kicked off this session discussing the background for GiveCamp and how he came up with the idea. Jay spoke about how GiveCamp got to where it is today, how other developers can participate, and upcoming events they are hosting.
 


Microsoft Build: Day 2 (Wednesday, May 26)


 


Stuck no more: Removing the anguish from languishing


 


Day 2 of Microsoft Build Humans of IT sessions kicked off with Chris Gill who spoke about languishing and his experience with it. He covered tips that helped him that may be able to help others dealing with languishing.


 


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What viewers thought of this session: 



  • “I left this session feeling a sense of calm and with some concrete things to work on. Thank you.”

  • “These type of sessions are extremely valuable, we need to remove the stigmatism of mental health and be transparent about how we are feeling. Openly talking about our struggles allows others to understand they are not alone and that provides relief.”

  • “Please have more talks like this in future events. This session was relevant to my current professional situation.” 


 


Planting the seeds for community: How Microsoft Developers Community began in Haiti


 


Day 2 Human of IT sessions wrapped up with Leslie Ramirez and Leomaris Reyes discussing how MVPs from the Dominican Republic went to Haiti to create the first Microsoft Developers Community in Haiti. Hear about their story, what inspired them, and how they made it happen.


 


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Microsoft Build: Day 3 (Thursday, May 27)


 


Mentoring grassroot technologists and transforming unreached communities



The final Humans of IT session at Build had quite the lineup with a panel including Kolaru Adeola, Clement Dike, Ayodeji Folarin, Bettirose Ngugi, Oluwaseyi Oluwawumiju, and Samuel Omodadepo expertly moderated by David Okeyode. They discussed their passion for working with grassroot communities and shared their individual stories of how they are all working towards the same goal of transforming the future of tech in Africa.


 


We are truly grateful to have been able to share the voices of so many amazing speakers and (virtually) encourage and inspire thousands of attendees this year on a global scale in a deeply meaningful, human way.


 


We hope you enjoyed the Humans of IT track @ Microsoft Build as much as we did, and we’ll see you next year!


 


Missed a session and want to catch up? Or perhaps you want to re-watch them all over again?


Access all the Humans of IT session recordings here.


 


Share your Microsoft Build experience with us: 



  • What were your favorite Humans of IT session? Why?

  • What do you hope to see from Humans of IT at the next virtual conference?


We want to hear from you in the comments below. Thank you for being a part of the community and this MS Build experience.


 


See you next time! 


 


#HumansofIT


#MSBuild


#CommunityRocks


#ConnectionZone

Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.