Community Spotlight: Mentors of HackCamp 2022
Meet some of the amazing mentors who joined us at HackCamp!
At nwPlus, we are committed to fostering a network that encourages innovation, inclusivity, and learning among those interested in tech. We believe that hackathons are for everyone, no matter what you study, where you’re from, or your previous experiences. HackCamp is our hackathon dedicated to those who are new to the hackathon scene. In this beginner’s hackathon, we focus on diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility.
In this article, we’ll be highlighting some of the inspiring stories mentors have shared with us at HackCamp 2022 for our Community Spotlight series, sharing some of their hackathon experiences, why they love participating in them, and some hackathon advice.
Note: The responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Aleks Bojanic (he/him)
Tell me about yourself.
— I’m a third-year student here at UBC. I’m interested in software development and product management. I’m here because I actually did HackCamp as a hacker last year, and I just wanted to help out and give back to the community. I’m having a lot of fun here today.
How did you enjoy HackCamp last year?
— When I first did HackCamp last year, I wasn’t really familiar with the community. I had completed some coursework in programming, but I hadn’t thought much about how I wanted to pursue it as a career. But after HackCamp, I was inspired by seeing what people were able to build in such a short amount of time and how not only was it just one person creating a whole project from scratch, but it was teams of friends or people who just met hours ago putting together such crazy things. I realized at that point how interested I am in software development and just the tech space in general.
How are you finding HackCamp today?
— I think it’s a very big change this year compared to last year because it was virtual. So last year you were just in groups of four and while I wasn’t able to participate as a hacker today, I can still see how it’s going as a mentor. Last year I only saw people getting into groups and then the end result but now I’m actually able to see the process with my own eyes. I can see people chatting together, laughing together, making new friends and acquaintances and just building these great things together.
You said that you’re interested in product management. Why is that?
— I’ve always been a people person. I always like to talk to people and I liked to tell stories growing up. I realized that while I’m very interested in software development, my skill set and my personality are better suited towards that line of work, and it more effectively uses my strengths. Adding on to that, my brother actually graduated from UBC last year, and that’s what he’s doing now. He’s always been a mentor to me and a good influence on me. We butt heads a lot and we’re always arguing but we’re quite similar so I think that if product management works for him, it’ll probably work for me too.
Allison Chiang (she/her)
Tell me about yourself.
— I’m Allison and I used to be on the nwPlus organizing team. Currently, I am a software engineer at Microsoft. I work in Vancouver, in the Downtown office. And I love hackathons because it was a big part of why I joined the tech industry.
What got you into hackathons?
— When I first started doing computer science, it was just a random class that was a prerequisite for me. And I tried it. And it was a lot of fun. So then I reached out to some of my old friends who were ahead of me in school, and I asked them, ‘Hey, what do you do to get involved in the community?’ because I thought that if I want to get really dedicated in this field, I should check out what the community is like.
What makes a successful hacker?
— I think a successful hacker is someone who’s not afraid of trying new things. At a hackathon, you’re there to learn, you have many resources at your disposal, you have teammates, you have organizers, you have mentors, and you have other hackers. For me, the biggest challenge of being at a hackathon is just being outside of my comfort zone and trying something new. I’ve never done this before, but someone here has, so I will talk to them, try it and see if they can help me if I get stuck. So when I see a hacker that very adamantly is like, let’s try it. Let’s get out of my comfort zone. Let’s think outside the box. I’m like, yes, that is what I aspired to be. I still aspire to be that. And so if you have that you are going to be a very successful hacker.
What does a successful project look like to you?
— A successful hackathon project should be a project that identifies a problem. In your team of diverse hackers who come from all walks of life, you want to be able to identify something that needs to be solved. There’s a reason why you want to tackle this specific problem. That kind of passion and drive, the “I want to solve this problem with this team,” is the secret ingredient. If you’re very dedicated and focused towards this problem you’re trying to solve, you will think outside the box, reach out to many different types of people to understand the feasibility, and better understand how tech can help support, supplement, or complement.
Arman Moztarzadeh (he/him)
Tell me about yourself.
— I’m a third-year student here at UBC studying Math and Data Science and hoping to transfer to Computer Science.
What made you decide to join us at HackCamp this year?
— I’ve known you guys since I was in my first year, and I was actually a participant at HackCamp last year. And so this year, I was just really interested in being a mentor. I wanted to take what I learned and give that back to other people who are just starting off with programming. Not only so that I can help people who are in my shoes (because I know I received a lot of help from mentors) but also just because I know that the workshops are very useful.
What do you think makes a successful project at HackCamp?
— I think that something that is well-structured and well-thought-out. It’s really easy to just go on a YouTube tutorial and follow the code line by line and be done in an hour, but if the project shows progress (which you can check on GitHub through the number of commits or changes they’ve done), or that they put a lot of effort into it, I think it will be successful. I think things like comments and proper formatting can also help show the time and effort they have spent on the project.
Thank you to Aleks, Allison, and Arman for sharing their inspiring stories. We’re always so happy to hear from our mentors, so that we can create more inclusive experiences for new and experienced hackers alike.
Don’t forget to check out our other Community Spotlights!
Stay tuned to hear more from our nwPlus community! 👋
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