Introducing the First-Ever Chapter Director of TechTogether Miami, Danay Fernandez
Meet TechTogether Miami’s first-ever Chapter Director, Danay Fernandez! Danay (She/Hers) is a senior at Florida International University (FIU) pursuing a BS/MS degree in Computer Science. She will be responsible for running TechTogether’s first hackathon for the Miami community. Interested in joining TechTogether Miami’s 2021–2022 organizing team? Learn more and apply here.
Hello! Please introduce yourself and your role in TechTogether.
Hello, my name is Danay Fernandez and I am a senior at Florida International University (FIU) pursuing a BS/MS degree in Computer Science. I am the 2021–2022 Chapter Director for TechTogether’s first-ever Miami chapter.
Why did you join the TechTogether organizing team? How can other students get involved with TechTogether?
At my first TechTogether hackathon, TechTogether Seattle, I got to experience first-hand how inclusive and welcoming TechTogether is for women and other marginalized individuals in the hacker community. This, together with my previous experiences as a woman in tech in Miami, inspired me to join TechTogether’s organizing team. I strongly believe in TechTogether’s mission and I think Miami and Florida broadly, were long overdue for a large gender-focused hackathon open to high school and college students.
A simple way to get involved with TechTogether is to follow their Instagram, @techtogether_, or to visit their website https://techtogether.io/. But most importantly, you should definitely subscribe to the biweekly newsletter.
What are you most excited about for TechTogether Miami? How do you hope this year’s hackathon will be different from last year?
As I said before, Florida was long overdue for a large gender-focused hackathon and I cannot believe this opportunity is finally here! I am most excited to see what doors this hackathon will open for our community. I cannot wait to hear the success stories of other organizers and future hackers at TechTogether Miami.
What is your favorite aspect of hackathons?
I love everything about hackathons but especially the community. At a hackathon, you get not only to meet like-minded students from different backgrounds that wish to learn new technologies, but you also get to share ideas with them, work together, learn from each other, and build a project. You might even get to build lifetime connections and be inspired to be a better version of yourself.
Can you tell me about your first hackathon experience?
I attended my first hackathon, ShellHacks, as a sophomore in college back in Fall 2018. At this hackathon, even though I did not get to build a project with a team, I had the opportunity to participate in several workshops and met some amazing people. This was the first time in my college career that I had an opportunity to talk to companies about job opportunities.
Do you have any advice for someone who’s interested in attending a hackathon but may be intimidated?
My advice is to grab some courage and try at least one hackathon. Believe me, once you have tried one hackathon, you will regret not participating in other hackathons before. So the sooner you do it the better! Stop missing out from all the fun ;)
Any secret talents or hobbies?
One of my hobbies is to cook breakfast on the weekends sometimes in the morning but other times for dinner. I just love breakfast food such as chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and cafe con leche. I also enjoy solving jigsaw puzzles and spending time with my family.
What do you wish I had asked and what would be your answer to that question?
“Should students pursuing a non tech-related major attend a TechTogether hackathon?”
Most definitely, TechTogether’s community is inclusive and welcoming to all, including students with a non-technical background. TechTogether’s own Executive Director, Fiona Whittington, pursued a BA in Advertising in college.
Any final thoughts?
If you have read this far, I hope that you have already applied to become an organizer, registered for one of the 2021–2022 TechTogether hackathons and/or subscribed to the biweekly newsletter to stay up to date in upcoming events. If you haven’t, then you should go do that right now!
Interested in attending a hackathon and getting access to more articles like this one? Subscribe to TechTogether’s bi-weekly newsletter. 💡
