Andy’s interest in a career in computer science was sparked in his sophomore year of high school. Having had a passion for computers since he was little, he was excited to have time free up in high school for CS courses. After this, he started researching ways to advance his tech skills and encountered the term 'hackathon' countless times. His interest sparked, Andy and his friend Stephen decided to put themselves out there and try attending one.
After getting cold feet a few times when looking at hackathons they would need to travel to, they heard about Local Hack Day nearby and no longer had an excuse not to go. Despite their first hackathon being 12 hours instead of 24+, they loved every minute of the experience and ended up coming in third place with their app idea.
In many ways, Andy believes you can look at hackathons like previews into an industry career. You're working in a fast-paced environment under heavy time constraints with a team. You're ultimately put in a situation where what you put in is what you get out without high stakes. He comments on the vast amount of hackers he has met who were not computer science or engineering discipline majors, and he believes there is value in attending events such as hackathons simply because there is no sufficient reason not to.
Andy is currently a sophomore at Western University where he is pursuing a degree in computer science. He has interned at companies working as a software intern and project manager. Andy currently serves as a full stack developer at benchMarked Studios.
His favorite project is from BostonHacks 2018 where his team and he developed (then called) ParknGo, a full-stack web application platform that they pitched as the 'Airbnb of Parking Spots.' Their passion for the project never died once it sparked in the initial hours of the weekend, and they ended up winning several awards, most significantly, the Boston University Spark! Fellowship. ParknGo became Parkaze, and under the Spark Fellowship, the platform was further researched, developed, and eventually shipped to market, where it continues to be improved and expanded to this day. Aside from the tremendous growth and potential in the project, Parkaze was his favorite project thus far as it helped him to see how real the potential to turn ideas into realities become at events such as hackathons. Had he never boarded the sponsored bus from Canada all the way to Boston, Massachusetts for 10+ hours, and met his team, the platform and app’s ability to crowdsource their parking solutions might not exist today.
Quick Facts
Andy’s interest in a career in computer science was sparked in his sophomore year of high school. Having had a passion for computers since he was little, he was excited to have time free up in high school for CS courses. After this, he started researching ways to advance his tech skills and encountered the term 'hackathon' countless times. His interest sparked, Andy and his friend Stephen decided to put themselves out there and try attending one.
After getting cold feet a few times when looking at hackathons they would need to travel to, they heard about Local Hack Day nearby and no longer had an excuse not to go. Despite their first hackathon being 12 hours instead of 24+, they loved every minute of the experience and ended up coming in third place with their app idea.
In many ways, Andy believes you can look at hackathons like previews into an industry career. You're working in a fast-paced environment under heavy time constraints with a team. You're ultimately put in a situation where what you put in is what you get out without high stakes. He comments on the vast amount of hackers he has met who were not computer science or engineering discipline majors, and he believes there is value in attending events such as hackathons simply because there is no sufficient reason not to.
Andy is currently a sophomore at Western University where he is pursuing a degree in computer science. He has interned at companies working as a software intern and project manager. Andy currently serves as a full stack developer at benchMarked Studios.
His favorite project is from BostonHacks 2018 where his team and he developed (then called) ParknGo, a full-stack web application platform that they pitched as the 'Airbnb of Parking Spots.' Their passion for the project never died once it sparked in the initial hours of the weekend, and they ended up winning several awards, most significantly, the Boston University Spark! Fellowship. ParknGo became Parkaze, and under the Spark Fellowship, the platform was further researched, developed, and eventually shipped to market, where it continues to be improved and expanded to this day. Aside from the tremendous growth and potential in the project, Parkaze was his favorite project thus far as it helped him to see how real the potential to turn ideas into realities become at events such as hackathons. Had he never boarded the sponsored bus from Canada all the way to Boston, Massachusetts for 10+ hours, and met his team, the platform and app’s ability to crowdsource their parking solutions might not exist today.
Quick Facts
