I presented @ HackWestern 2023 & 2022!
Throughout my involvement with HackWestern, I’ve worn many hats - workshop presenter, Major League Hacking (MLH) GitHub Campus rep, and technical mentor. These roles have allowed me to pursue my passion for making technology education more accessible and engaging for students of all skill levels!
Short Clips from my workshop!
HackWestern 2023: A Year of Comprehensive Learning
In 2023, I took on an ambitious challenge by leading three distinct technical workshops. Each session was designed to equip hackers with essential tools and knowledge they could immediately apply to their projects.
My GitHub workshop focused on demystifying version control, a crucial skill that often intimidates newcomers to tech. Through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, participants learned how to effectively manage their code, collaborate with team members, and handle common challenges like merge conflicts.
The Tableau workshop emerged from recognizing how critical data visualization has become in telling compelling project stories. I guided participants through the process of transforming raw data into interactive dashboards, empowering them to present their hackathon projects with professional-quality visualizations.
For the Google Cloud Platform workshop, I broke down complex cloud concepts into digestible pieces, showing hackers how to leverage cloud services effectively while managing resources and costs. This knowledge proved particularly valuable as teams began deploying their hackathon projects.
MLH Partnership and Community Building
Beyond running workshops, I had the privilege of representing Major League Hacking at our booth. This position allowed me to connect with countless hackers, offering technical guidance, sharing resources, and helping teams overcome challenges during their development process. The MLH booth became a hub for collaboration and problem-solving, where students could find support at any hour during the hackathon.
Building on Success: HackWestern 2022
The foundation for these initiatives was laid in 2022, when I had the honor of hosting Jeffrey, a Google Developer Expert from GDG Twin Cities. His workshop on Machine Learning APIs and Google Cloud Platform brought industry expertise directly to our hackers, providing insights into real-world applications of AI and ML technologies. This collaboration helped establish HackWestern as a place where students could learn directly from industry leaders.
Looking Ahead
As I prepare for HackWestern 2024, I’m excited to build on these successes while introducing new elements to our technical education program. The positive feedback and visible impact of past workshops have shown that there’s a real hunger for hands-on, practical technical education in our community.
What makes these workshops truly special isn’t just the technical content - it’s the community we’ve built around learning and sharing knowledge. I’ve seen firsthand how a well-structured workshop can give students the confidence to tackle ambitious projects and explore new technologies.
A huge shoutout to the amazing HackWestern team who does an exceptional job with organizing and ensuring the event runs smoothly.
Join Our Learning Community
If you’re interested in being part of this journey, whether as a participant, mentor, or workshop leader, I encourage you to get involved with HackWestern. Follow their social media channels to stay updated on upcoming workshops and opportunities.
The most rewarding part of this experience has been watching participants grow from tentative beginners to confident developers, often returning to subsequent hackathons to mentor others. This cycle of learning and teaching embodies the spirit of the hackathon community - one where knowledge is shared freely and everyone has something valuable to contribute.
As we look toward future events, I’m committed to continuing this tradition of accessible technical education while exploring new ways to support our community’s growth. Whether you’re writing your first line of code or building your tenth cloud application, you’ll find a place to learn and grow at HackWestern.
Remember: every technical journey starts with a single step, and we’re here to support you along the way. I hope to see you at our next workshop, where we can continue building this learning community together.