2021 was an eccentric one, riddled with changes from the widespread indoctrinate of remote work and study programs to virtual everything. Meetings, workshops and hackathons are but a few things we have had to deliver 100% digitally.
In spite of all this, we were not deterred. Our TOHacks 2021 hackathon ended up being one of our most successful virtual hackathons to date with over 700 participants and 190+ projects. We then followed up with TOConnect 2021 which delivered dozens of workshop sessions to foster the leaders of tomorrow.
This would not have been possible without the support of inspiring individuals dedicated to hacking a better future, our sponsors for their financial support and the many TOHacks volunteers that worked tirelessly in the background.
Here is a peek at some of the lesser known but equally grand projects our teams have been cooking in the background, along with their aspirations for the new year.
Product Engineering
Last spring, we launched our Applicant Dashboard which empowers individuals to view and apply for TOHacks initiatives. For TOHacks 2021 alone, we garnered over 2,500 users. There are several really neat components to the Applicant Dashboard, including an events page for individuals and team members, along with built-in statistics for administrators to better understand engagement. All of these systems can export their data to CSV, which allows us to integrate with other systems both internal and external to TOHacks!
What’s next?
We’ve still got a lot of thorough documentation to write, along with in-app tracking for the Applicant Dashboard. Interested in seeing it for yourself? Register for our next event in the new year! :)
Participant Experience
Our team is continuously working on improving the participant experience by streamlining our processes, and planning fun activities.
One of our recent projects is a mentorship program for female undergraduate students in partnership with Capital One. Spanning 2021–2022, this program will help reduce the gender gap in STEAM fields by expanding knowledge on various facets in software engineering and data science.
What’s next?
We currently have three events in the pipeline: the fintech startup panel, hype week before the annual hackathon, and TOHacks 2022. We look forward to seeing you there!
Marketing
Our work never stops — even now our team is working on graphics, e-mails and medium posts to keep you engaged and in the know as we move into 2022. As for this year, we have accomplished quite a lot including several successful marketing campaigns for the annual TOHacks hackathon and TOConnect. To do so, we explored many mediums including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Medium.
What’s next?
In the new year, expect bigger and better from the Marketing department. We have a host of neat experiments to improve engagement across all our platforms, including activities and strategies that will bring you along for the ride.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. — Mark Twain
2021 was a wild journey, and 2022 will bring about its own uncertainties in all aspects of life.
In spite of this, one thing will remain certain — it will be exciting.
Here’s to a wonderful season, and a wondrous new year.
P.S. look out for upcoming opportunities to join the TOHacks committee in 2022!
— Alvin Ramoutar, Content Writer @ TOHacks.ca
