Hello everyone who was at #SQLSatBR this year!
We had a huge early morning wave of attendees this morning that inundated our sponsors just like a cooling rain inundated us in the afternoon. We had 25 kids in a STEM track that featured robots, magnets, stop-motion animation, and Legos. We showed off the awesome and much-needed work of the Futures Fund in Baton Rouge, we bragged about our Tiger, and we raised $1420.05 to donate to the Foundation for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.
Oh, and we delivered 70 hours of free training to 487 new and old friends, enjoyed delicious jambalaya, then gave away an XBox One and more cool stuff at the end-of-day raffle. We were aided by an army of volunteers, sponsors from far and wide, and representatives of the Empire.
If you're a volunteer, I thank you, you made this thing happen, you cleaned up afterwards, you carried and sweated and smiled.
If you're a speaker, I thank you, you traveled thousands of miles, you prepared for hours (including the hours immediately prior to your session), you shared your enthusiasm and experience.
If you're a sponsor, I thank you, you helped us provide a free lunch, snacks, drinks, 55 technical books, speaker supplies, printed materials and much more to our attendees.
If you're an attendee, I thank you, you asked great questions and laughed at jokes and cheered and clapped and took notes and networked.
If you're a kid, know that our industry of Information Technology needs you, regardless of your color, gender, sexuality, schooling, economic status, or creed, and that there's a whole bunch of us working to make our workplaces inclusive, efficient, and successful places for you to build your careers.