Meet Hack Western 9’s Co-Directors
Drumroll Please…🥁🥁🥁
Introducing our lovely Hack Western Co-Directors for the 2022–2023 year! We’re so excited to kick things off and wanted to start by letting all of you in on some secrets from our Co-Directors themselves.
Amy: I’m Amy, going to my final year for HBA 2. I studied computer science during my first and second year, and had the opportunity to take a year off to work during the pandemic before starting at Ivey. Despite my technical background, my passion lies in marketing and the intersection of creativity and insights. In my spare time, I enjoy doing art with oil pastel, spending hours discovering new songs on Spotify, and diving into the various rabbit holes that exist on the internet. This is my first year on the organizers team for Hack Western, it is an honour to be a co-director at such a pivotal time as we transition back to in-person hackathons post COVID.
Kelly: Hey! I’m Kelly, a rising 4th year in BMOS. My primary interests are in product/UX design, particularly within entertainment, gaming, and climate. Outside of work and school I enjoy playing spike-ball and ultimate frisbee, writing, and romanticising my life through mini-vlogs :)
What’s your favourite part about organizing/what are you looking forward to the most?
Amy: I miss the adrenaline rush of hosting in-person events — from running around to manage logistics, to the spontaneous encounters of new and old friends, there is a level of energy that radiates from both participants and organizers when we gather at one place with shared goals and passion. I am driven to find opportunities for participants by forming meaningful partnerships with our sponsors, and at the same time, showcase all the technical talents we have here within the western community. I know that along the way, I will form treasurable friendships with those on the HW team, and make new connections with the various attendees of HW9.
Kelly: I’m stoked to be able to help bring Hack Western back in-person again! Having helped organize Hack Western virtually over the last two years, my favourite part was any chance of in-person interaction with my team. Even packing swag bags (typically perceived as an arduous process) was tons of fun because it was done with everyone.
Another core memory with the team during HW8 was playing Twister and receiving the night shift’s hourly updates on the state of everyone’s sleep. Of course, I also love interacting with hackers during the event, and seeing what awesome projects they all come up with. It’s one of the things I look forward to the most actually alongside the in-person component; it’s a very sublime feeling to see how much fun everyone is having and the passion poured into projects.
What’s this years Hack Western vision and what can we expect?
Kelly: This year, we will be bringing Hack Western back in-person on Western University campus from November 18–20, 2022. Leading up to the weekend, we will also host our Zero to Hero week of workshops, panels, and networking in a virtual capacity similar to last year. Hack Western 9 will be “where imagination becomes reality.” In this way, we envision the hackathon weekend to be a communal space for students to build out their curiosities, and tinker with the tools and skills that all contribute towards their learning and growth. We are also pondering opportunities to encourage hackers to create projects that can extend beyond just the hackathon weekend, to promote longevity and sustainability of projects. In terms of activities, we’d love to re-introduce MLH traditions (anyone down for a cup-stack? 👀) and are definitely excited to feature more breaks and social events for hackers to wind down and meet others. Be sure to stay up to date with us on social media for gradual releases of the fun activities to come.
Our mission since day one has been to foster an environment that ensures the tech industry is approachable and accessible to students from all backgrounds. We strive to cultivate safe, inclusive spaces where students can think outside the box, dream big, and connect with others; to provide the necessary resources, mentorship, and platforms for students to learn, build, innovate, and play. As Hack Western, and the sub-communities we are part of, we hope to push students’ outside their comfort zone and continuously inspire them to explore their passions in tech.
How can we stay connected with the hackathon community while still living in a post pandemic world?
Amy: While there are elements of in-person interaction that technology can never replace, we should also learn to leverage the technical tools that enabled us to stay connected even post-covid. Thanks to the technical capabilities that was developed during the pandemic, we can host our Zero to Hero virtually and allow attendees from all over the world to join without geographical limitations. We have learned to embrace virtual communities like discord that allow the interchange of ideas and thoughts, which just might lead to the next hackathon-winning idea. All these allowed us to grow a community that is more diverse, faster and better. Hack Western 9 will allow members within this community to come together and celebrate their learnings and build a deeper level of connection.
Let’s keep in touch!
Email: hello@hackestern.com
Twitter: @hackwestern
Facebook: Hack Western
