Technica is the world’s largest hackathon for underrepresented genders, and also the largest hackathon at the University of Maryland. This year, Technica was held at the Hotel at UMD, with over 800+ in-person attendees and 400+ online, reaching over 15 countries and 4 continents!
A picture of all of Technica’s Organizers!
A hackathon is an event where people can collaborate together in teams to create different technology projects, or “hacks.” Technica is especially unique since hackers can not only work on projects, but also network with company representatives, eat food, and attend fun events/breaks!
I was lucky enough to speak to several QUESTees who were at Technica, both as organizers and students. When speaking to Jules Parra of Cohort 35, who served as this year’s Co-Exec, they expressed how proud they were to “revive the in-person experience,” with new additions, such as bus routes that brought hackers from different colleges across the East Coast, 40+ workshops, special speakers, a new venue, and more. In fact, one of Parra’s favorite aspects of Technica this year was the new Startup Track, which aimed to help hackers learn how they can “leverage the projects they build and the technical skills they develop during Technica beyond the weekend,” by possibly launching their project as a business. Furthermore, Parra was proud of the fellowship program, which helped teach 14 rising college freshmen across the country technical skills so that they could build a personal project and be introduced into the tech field. These new programs brought Technica to an unprecedented level of engagement and success, and we cannot wait to see how it grows in the future.
More pictures of Technica’s organizers!
A picture of Patel and Dhareshwar’s hack, Motivate Me!
As for QUEST, Parra attributes much of their success being Co-Exec to the “brainstorming, presenting, and teamwork in the QUEST classes” that made them “much more confident in their communication and leadership abilities.” I also spoke to another QUESTee, Eesha Kaul of Cohort 38, who was an organizer on the Community Team for Technica. Like Parra, Kaul mentioned how working with her QUEST team helped her with Technica, as it taught her how to “adapt and overcome the challenges that come from working with other people from different majors and backgrounds.” She also said that her 190H skills, such as iterative design and improving processes, helped her with organizing the hackathon.
This year, QUESTees did not only help behind-the-scenes, but also participated in the hackathon themselves. In particular, Sneha Patel (Q39) and Arti Dhareshwar (Q39) teamed up to create Motivate Me!, an app that aims to spread encouragement and combat imposter syndrome. The home page of the app allows users to click a button and write an idea or an accomplishment. Afterwards, the main feature is the “Motivate Me!” button, which generates inspirational quotes, an accomplishment the user saved, and a mindfulness activity to help inspire and encourage the user. When reflecting on her Technica experience, Patel mentioned how her QUEST 190H class helped her with the project, as she felt that collaborating with other students in QUEST helped her to “easily transition into a team setting to work on the hack.” Overall, we are proud of Patel and Dhareshwar’s project and cannot wait to see what they create in the future!
For anyone interested in Technica, keep an eye out! The annual event will likely happen next October, and you can find updates on https://www.gotechnica.org!