Title:Hacking for social good

In 2015, Taylor Wan (C’16) and Casandra Schwartz (C’16) founded Hoya Hacks to “put Georgetown on the map for computer science.” The competition and learning/networking event now attracts more than 300 participants each year.

During their early years at Georgetown, Wan and Schwartz participated in hackathons at other schools, practicing software skills like writing code and producing an application. According to Wan, hackathons are a way “to meet people and to get applicable experience in computer science. It’s the kind of experience you can usually get from an internship, but those are hard to get without any experience.”

On a ride back to Georgetown after one hackathon, Wan and Schwartz wondered, “Why do we have to travel for this? Why don’t we create a hackathon?”

“Georgetown’s computer science program is small but mighty,” says Wan. “We thought a hackathon would be a perfect way to demonstrate that.”

During their senior year, Wan and Schwartz worked with Lisa Singh, computer science professor, and CIO Judd Nicholson to establish Hoya Hacks with an evergreen theme of “Hacking for Social Good,” in recognition of the university’s Jesuit tradition.

Their timing was fortuitous. Around the same time, Joshua Meredith, who was working as an administrator at the School of Continuing Studies, was in conversation with several deans and directors to determine how Georgetown could highlight its strengths as a technology university despite not having an engineering school. Someone suggested the possibility of hosting a hackathon. Nicholson introduced Meredith to Wan and Schwartz, and they joined forces to grow the event.

Now in its second decade, Hoya Hacks is spearheaded by Meredith, now a senior project manager for University Information Services. It is an integral member of Major League Hacking (MLH), the official student hackathon league that powers over 300 hackathons each year.

For Hoya Hacks, approximately 300 students from the DC area and beyond come to the Healey Family Student Center with sleeping bags and computer devices for a weekend of learning and competition. There’s no fee to participate, and thanks to corporate sponsorship, there are cash prizes for the winners.

Teams have three to five participants. Students who arrive alone or who have never competed in a hackathon are connected with a team. Between listening to speakers and working with their teams, students can meet with sponsors about internships and careers.

“Hoya Hacks really embodies social good for others, a pillar of the university,” says Meredith. “The projects we have created and the community we have built over the last decade showcase the ingenuity of the student organizers and the power of Georgetown.”