Next month, nwPlus will kickoff its September hiring to scout dedicated talents that will complete the team.
nwPlus is a team of ~40 college students who aim to provide an inclusive tech community focussed around learning and building. We are an integral pillar to the growing Vancouver tech community and are here to represent all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
As we approach the application period to join the nwPlus team, we sat down with some nwPlus Directors (Rebecca — Co-President, Anita — Co-President, Allison —Local Hack Day Director, Anne — Sponsorship Director, Kevin — Marketing Director), to give you an idea of what to expect from this organization.
Q: What has been the biggest highlight of the group so far?
Rebecca: nwPlus has always been all about the people — whether it’s the hackers that attend our events or the organizing team behind it. Being able to bring together this evergrowing hacking community of 1200+ to join us every year for the sole purpose of learning, building, and sharing tech together is so unreal and indescribable. Behind the scenes, the level of hardwork, dedication, and care that the team has towards each of our events and towards each other is absolutely unparalleled with and is something that we hold very close to heart. The people has never not been a highlight during my time in nwPlus — the bright minds that come to our hackathons and the dedicated minds behind these hackathons is precisely what makes nwPlus strive to grow what we do each year.
Anita: I love how this group is continually growing and finding new ventures to further empower the student tech community in the PNW. This past year, we added two new hackathons (Local Hack Day, cmd-f) to our existing roster of one hackathon (nwHacks) and had a record number of 12 members representing nwPlus this summer at Hackcon vii.
Q: How would you describe your experience being a member of nwPlus?
Allison: I find that the most rewarding part of being in nwPlus is being a part of a team, one that supports each other (nwSUPPORTS ✨) and enjoys doing so. We find time to organize and attend socials, help out each other in need, and go out of our way to make sure the events that we build together for the local tech community are unparalleled in Western Canada.
Anne: I absolutely love giving back to the community and personally felt like it’s a way to get involved when I don’t feel strong on my own two feet as a hacker.
Anita: Since everyone above has talked about community already, I wanted to say that nwPlus has brought me countless opportunities that I never expected to get from one club at UBC. It’s taught me to leap out of my comfort zone, from trying out my first executive/lead position at nwHacks to eventually becoming Co-President and speaking at MLH’s Hackathon Organizers Conference, Hackcon, in Pennsylvania. As part of nwPlus, I love championing the hacker community and empowering hackers and team members alike to learn new skills and bridge connections.
Q: Why did you join nwPlus?
Allison: I initially found out about nwPlus from a good friend of mine, Kristen. She is one of the co-founders of UBC LHD, and to this day is an incredible role model of mine. I reached out to her when I was just beginning to venture into UBC’s Computer Science community, looking for a chance to learn about the industry and try my hand at contributing to the community in the process as well. Little did I know, a few months later I would find out that UBC Local Hack Day was a perfect fit for me!
Kevin: As a first-year UBC student looking to pursue computer science, nwPlus was kinda the dream club to be a part of. They put on nwHacks and the team culture looked amazing. That was all that I needed to be sold. I wanted to be a part of something bigger, and I wanted to build that something with a group of wonderful people. To be honest it’s still surreal to me that I’m actually a part of the team this year, but I will do my best now that I am here!
Q: What advice would you would give to someone who says they can’t code?
Rebecca: Attend a hackathon! Hackathons are the perfect opportunity to really see for yourself the how diverse hackathon attendees are and feel inspired to get involved regardless of technical skills. I don’t think I can even name over 60 different majors or fields, but believe it or not, we have welcomed students from every single one of those majors at our hackathons (and over 300+ first-time hackers)! You don’t have to be in a technical major or a hackathon-veteran to be a tech-enthusiast and hackathon-lover. If you want to start learning how to code, there are even specialized hackathons focused on helping you get started! (Ever heard of this beginner-friendly hackathon called Local Hack Day by nwPlus? 😉)
Allison: Everyone has to start somewhere! The more you expose yourself to the community, the more you learn about what you don’t know. Sometimes you just need a little push to dive in, and that’s exactly what UBC Local Hack Day is designed to do! UBC LHD is designed to help novice programmers find their footing. From our comprehensive beginner workshops and our knowledgable mentor team, you’d be hard-pressed to not find something worth working on at UBC Local Hack Day… and a team of beginners like you who are eager to hack a project together!
Q: What does the future look like for nwPlus?
Allison: This year, we’re going to come back bigger and better than our past years! Last year we welcomed UBC LHD and cmd-f as nwPlus hackathons, in addition to nwHacks. After pulling that off last year, we’re convinced that we should continue pushing our boundaries. For the LHD team, that means we will be having three separate days this year, Learn Day, Build Day, and Share Day — that’s 2 more events than our LHD roster last year. We’re excited to welcome the most hackers in UBC LHD history yet, and we’re super stoked to be able to share it with you all this coming year. Stay tuned on our website, lhd.nwplus.io 😉
Stay tuned for our September hiring package!
nwPlus UBC — the tech community you love behind UBC Local Hack Day, nwHacks, and cmd-f
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