The conference was exciting, memorable, and exhausting. It was the first conference I have ever been to and It was nothing like I expected it would be! The first day of the summer school, Sunday, when Simon Peyton Jones gave a lecture was incredibly insightful on both his journey and the progression of Haskell. The following day I was a student volunteer for the registration desk in the morning. From the small moments of respite from the hectic non-stop lines of people checking in, I was able to bond with my fellow student volunteers through the experience.

I saw many fascinating talks like, “Solver-Aided Programming for All”, “Serverless Computing with Functions”, and “Program Analysis for Everyone”. What was even more fascinating was speaking with researchers about their work and discussing my work. I was given new insights and directions from these small chats in the hallway, more than I would of thought was possible. I learned that the most important thing at conferences is people and their ideas. Being able to ask questions of top researchers in their respective fields is incredibly valuable.

The sunday after the conference I was able to go into the city and explore. I was able to see Anne Frank’s house, go to the Rijksmuseum and see wonderful pieces from Rembrandt, and go on a boat tour through the canals.

I am so happy that I was able to attend the conference and meet so many wonderful, passionate people!