The Life of a Hacker

Hackville 2024 was my first hackathon. This year, I had the opportunity to judge at Deltahacks and also help organize Hackville 2026. As the VP of Technology at Hackville, I led the formation of Hackville's first full-stack technology team in nearly a decade, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at Sheridan.

From the start, our goal was simple: create space for people to innovate not just within code or design, but across structure, systems, and how a hackathon actually operates behind the scenes. Hackville has always been known for strong interaction design and developer culture, but we wanted to treat it like a real organization independent teams coming together as one. That mindset turned out to be the secret behind how smoothly things came together.

Over the past year, I had the freedom to turn ideas into reality rather than just point out what could be improved. With the support of an open and forward-thinking executive team, we piloted systems that hadn't existed at Hackville before. We built and shipped in-house platforms to support registration, judging, and on-ground logistics, making Hackville the only Sheridan hackathon with a fully in-house tech solution.

Across our platforms, we saw over 3,000 active users, supporting hackers, judges, and admins throughout the weekend. On the ground, our virtual hacker badge system handled meal redemption and check-ins seamlessly, with hundreds of scans across the event. These weren't just features. They were tools that allowed the team to focus on people instead of processes.

Beyond technology, I also worked closely with the sponsorship team this year. Through conversations with sponsors and better technical storytelling, we helped drive a significant increase in external sponsorship support, allowing Hackville to grow without compromising its student-first values.

None of this would have been possible without the people. I'm incredibly grateful to our executive team, the judges, mentors, sponsors, and especially the hackers, many of whom travelled from outside the GTA to be part of Hackville. Watching over 40 projects come to life over one weekend reminded me why hackathons matter in the first place.

Hackville has always been special to me. As Sheridan's flagship hackathon, it pushed me to aim higher, think structurally, and take ownership. This year, I was lucky to work alongside people who were willing to challenge systems that had stayed the same for almost a decade and trust new ideas.

As many of us from the 2026 team prepare to graduate, Hackville is already looking ahead. If you're someone who wants ownership, autonomy, and the chance to build something meaningful, whether in tech, design, or sponsorship, Hackville 2027 is just getting started. Recruitment opens soon, and I'd genuinely love to see new faces shape what comes next.

I'll always look back at Hackville with gratitude.