This year, I participated in a new capacity for the first time: Academic Advisor. 🎉 My role was to read submissions and, using the criteria alongside my own expertise and common sense, grade them to recommend (or not recommend) them for the conference. I absolutely loved the process. A huge thank you to my colleague Wafa Zekri for the organization, for trusting my expertise, and for her patience in working with me. I’m really hoping for more opportunities like this in the future!