What the All Builders Welcome Grant unlocked for my career, my confidence, and my family!
It’s March 26, 2026. And I’m finally sharing my story. Not because I forgot. Not because it didn’t matter. But because life… asked me to pause. After re:Invent, I was ready to celebrate. Ready to write. Ready to share everything I had experienced. Then the layoffs happened. People we had learned from. People who had poured into this community… were suddenly gone. And I couldn’t just post like nothing happened. So I waited. I processed. I held space for both gratitude and grief. And now.. I'm ready.
The Third “YES!” That Changed Everything
In December 2025, I traveled to Las Vegas to attend AWS re:Invent 2025.
Not by chance.
But after applying for the All Builders Welcome Grant… three times.
Three attempts.
Three moments of “maybe next time.”
Three decisions to try again.
Three moments of “maybe next time.”
Three decisions to try again.
And then… a yes.
That yes was not just a ticket.
It was confirmation.
That persistence speaks.
That consistency compounds.
That sometimes, the door opens because you refused to walk away.
That consistency compounds.
That sometimes, the door opens because you refused to walk away.
The Real re: Invent Starts Before The Plane Takes Off
If you’ve ever prepared for re: Invent, you know…
The conference doesn’t start in Las Vegas.
It starts in your mind.
You open the session catalog.
You plan your schedule.
You cancel your schedule.
You feel overwhelmed.
You ask yourself:
You plan your schedule.
You cancel your schedule.
You feel overwhelmed.
You ask yourself:
“Am I doing this right?”
I did all of that.
And somewhere in the middle of the planning… I realized something:
You don’t “optimize” re: Invent.
You experience it.
Plot Twist: My First Vegas Lesson Came From a Lyft Driver 😄
4 a.m. wake-up.
Frankfurt → Dallas → Las Vegas.
Frankfurt → Dallas → Las Vegas.
Tired. Excited. Slightly confused.
We ordered a Lyft.
The app told us:
“Your driver is deaf. Here are a few signs you can use.”
So we practiced.
We were ready.
We felt prepared.
The driver arrived… turned around… and spoke to us perfectly.
At that moment, I had one thought:
Was that strategy… or just Vegas being Vegas? 😅
Either way , it worked.
And it reminded me of something simple:
Sometimes, life prepares you for something…
only to show you that you’re already ready.
only to show you that you’re already ready.
Day 1: Leadership is not a title
One of the most powerful moments for me was a leadership session.
Not because it was new.
But because it was true.
Here’s what stayed with me:
- Stay curious
- Own your strengths
- Build real relationships
- Deliver meaningful impact
- Treat feedback as data
- Navigate change with empathy
That last one…
Navigate change with empathy.
It hit differently then.
And it hits even deeper now.
And it hits even deeper now.
Because technology evolves fast.
But people… feel everything.
Day 2: The community is the real infrastructure
We talk a lot about infrastructure in tech.
Systems. Pipelines. Platforms.
But at re: Invent, I was reminded of something more powerful:
Community is infrastructure.
The conversations.
The shared stories.
The people behind the badges.
The shared stories.
The people behind the badges.
That’s where growth really happens.
As an AWS Community Builder, this meant everything to me.
Because I don’t just build systems.
I build people.
What I took from the keynotes (in simple terms)
There was a lot of innovation. A lot of announcements. A lot of “wow.”
But here’s what stayed with me, not as hype, but as truth.
AI is only powerful when it solves real problems
Not when it looks impressive.
But when it removes friction.
In my world as a Cloud Platform Engineer, that means:
clearer runbooks
faster incident response
better developer experience
faster incident response
better developer experience
Not replacing people.
Supporting them.
The fundamentals are not going anywhere
Kubernetes. Observability. Reliability. Security.
These are not “old topics.”
They are the foundation.
And in a world moving faster than ever…
Foundations matter more, not less.
The real advantage is the mindset
Tools will change.
Platforms will evolve.
But the builders who win are the ones who:
stay curious
keep learning
keep sharing
keep learning
keep sharing
That’s the rhythm I’m building:
Learn. Build. Share. Repeat.
And then… something even bigger than tech happened!
Because this trip didn’t end in Las Vegas.
It continued in Houston.
I experienced something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Home.
I saw my sister again.
After 21 years.
She had built a life. A family. Six children.
And I had memories.
And then suddenly…
We were in the same room again.
Laughing. Talking. Remembering.
I also saw my brother again, the last time was in 2011.
We shared stories about Cameroon.
We caught up on life.
We created new memories.
We caught up on life.
We created new memories.
And in that moment, I realized:
This was not just a tech conference.
This was a life moment.
A healing moment.
A reminder that behind every career…
There is a person.
There is a story.
There is a family.
There is a story.
There is a family.
What this experience really meant to me
Yes, I am a Cloud Platform Engineer.
Yes, I am an AWS Community Builder.
Yes, I speak about Kubernetes, DevOps, and AI.
Yes, I am an AWS Community Builder.
Yes, I speak about Kubernetes, DevOps, and AI.
But I am also:
A mother.
A sister.
A builder of people.
A woman who chose to start again at 35.
A sister.
A builder of people.
A woman who chose to start again at 35.
And this experience connected all of it.
My work.
My purpose.
My family.
My mission.
My purpose.
My family.
My mission.
Thank you to AWS, and to the humans behind it
To AWS, thank you for the All Builders Welcome Grant.
But more importantly…
To the people behind AWS.
The program managers.
The community leaders.
The builders.
The voices, including those who are no longer in those roles today.
The community leaders.
The builders.
The voices, including those who are no longer in those roles today.
Thank you.
In a season of change, I choose to hold both truths:
Gratitude for the opportunity.
And compassion for those impacted.
And compassion for those impacted.
If you’re reading this…
And you feel behind…
Or unsure…
Or like your time hasn’t come yet…
Or unsure…
Or like your time hasn’t come yet…
Let me remind you:
You are not late.
You are not forgotten.
You are not “too much” or “not enough.”
You are not forgotten.
You are not “too much” or “not enough.”
You are in the middle of your story.
And sometimes…
The third attempt is the one that changes everything.
Final thought
This experience didn’t just show me what is possible in tech.
It showed me what is possible in life.
And I’m just getting started.
Explore More from My re:Invent Experience
📸 Photos
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