“My overall experience was fantastic. I found it incredibly enriching for my professional skills, particularly in areas such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.”
Muriel Gete
After two days of intense brainstorming and hard work, over 30 students presented their final solutions to the judges at the Campus Changemakers Hackathon—and wow, we were blown away!
In partnership with Humber Polytechnic’s Longo Centre for Entrepreneurship (CfE), IGNITE hosted its annual hackathon. Students were divided into groups and put their problem-solving and design-thinking skills to the test as they were challenged to think outside the box and tackle real-world problems.
Held in person at the Barret Centre for Technology Innovation on Nov. 2 and continuing online on Nov. 3, the hackathon brought students together to sharpen their problem-solving and design-thinking skills. They also had the opportunity to network with industry professionals.
We’re happy to announce The Dream Team as the winner of the Campus Changemakers Hackathon—yes, that’s their actual name!
The judges’ top three picks:
- The Dream Team
- FAMIA
- 7UP
Meet the Dream Team
This powerhouse group included Hoang Tran Tran, Kevin Chu, Muriel Gete, Qiaoli Yan and Sakshan Sharma. Each brought a unique perspective from their diverse academic programs.
Tran is in the computer engineering technology program, Chu in computer programming and analysis, Yan in advertising – media management, Sharma in engineering – mechatronics and Gete in psychology. With math, media and tech minds coming together, what more could you ask for in a dream team?
This year’s challenge was the lack of student engagement at the post-secondary level. Gete said the team identified the overload of information getting lost in ineffective communication as the key issue. After identifying the problem, the group had to propose a solution.
An interactive student forum to streamline communication and simplify problem-solving, their idea shifts information-sharing from the traditional top-down system to a more horizontal, collaborative and student-centred approach. Gete emphasized that this tool would be especially helpful during the beginning and end of semesters when staff are overwhelmed and information dissemination tends to waver.
Gete highlighted the importance of communication, planning and teamwork during the event, emphasizing that these skills were crucial to their success. Sharma agreed.
“I believe that teamwork, listening to others and thinking out of the box were the most significant skills necessary during the hackathon,” Sharma said.
Their solution is nothing short of fantastic! Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber should bring this brilliant idea to life!
More than just a hackathon
Sure, the hackathon develops students’ problem-solving and critical-thinking skills—everybody knows that. But, it was also about connection and growth.
For Sharma, the event was a golden opportunity for social well-being and to meet like-minded students from different faculties.
“You are able to meet with people from other faculties who are interested in the same things as you are and you get new ideas from different perspectives,” Sharma said.
Gete described her overall experience as “fantastic.” Beyond enriching her professional skills, she made connections with people in her field.
“It was a great opportunity. We exchanged LinkedIn profiles with fellow participants and met highly skilled individuals in fields of interest to me,” Gete said.
How would you react to winning the Campus Changemakers Hackathon’s grand prize of $650? Walking away with the big prize, Sarma called his friends to boast about the money, while Gete felt proud of her team’s efforts and dedication.
Both Gete and Sharma encourage other students to join in the next hackathon for the chance to learn, grow and make connections.
A huge shoutout to The Dream Team and all the participants for making the Campus Changemakers Hackathon a special one. We can’t wait to see new faces next year!
IGNITE believes events like this are essential to student life. Students not only have the opportunity to meet industry experts, network and build new skills but also to create new connections with the student community, which is essential for student well-being.
Follow us on Instagram @shareignite to stay in the loop about more fun and exciting events we’ll be hosting throughout the year.
Feature image courtesy of The Dream Team.
Do you want to learn more about hackathons on campus? Get to know last year’s hackathon winning team!
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