Joining a hackathon was a calculated risk for Elias. He had taken a few computer science courses in high school, but most of his artistic drive was focused on graphic design and music production. So when a friend invited Elias to participate in MLH during his second semester at UTSA, he used what he knew from these passions to create a unique project with his team. He created three full-length tracks of music and over a dozen sound effects and sprites to be put to use in what became a first place award for him and his teammates. Since his first hackathon, Elias has taken initiative to bring his passions to networking efforts and future hackathons, where he can now sufficiently hold his own.

As a student, it’s easy to spread yourself too thin. After an especially strenuous freshman year, Elias recognized that he needed to take a step back and cut down on stress. Hackathons turned out to be the perfect solution, a noncommittal outlet for creativity with a clear end in sight that could advance his portfolio. These compartmentalized events took him out of the usual grind of his degree path while finding a new energy in the world of hacking by encouraging him to better himself. This relief gave him peace of mind and an even wider pool of experiences to draw from as a multidisciplinary student.

In order to build confidence in his individual abilities, Elias started submitting solo projects on Devpost, one of which became a quick favorite of his: Carl, Defender of Waves. With no pressure to follow a certain set of guidelines, Elias used this passion project to focus on perfecting small functionalities within the game. Working on Carl was a great reminder of how rewarding taking fun, creative ventures can be, even within a professional setting. He brings the important lessons that he learns during solo projects to the table when working in larger group settings like hackathons.

Though Elias is a Pre-Law student, studying Politics with a minor in Music Technology, he greatly appreciates the value of outside experiences, whether artistic or scientific. As a law student, you are often expected to solve situations where you must analyze and defend elements of a variety of different fields in a court of law. As the technological world becomes more and more present in all of our lives, lawyers with an advanced understanding of computer science and cybersecurity have an edge. Knowing that the field is changing, Elias has built up his experience with programming to better equip himself with the knowledge necessary to argue forensic situations relating to computational data. Along with a greater understanding of issues that can be brought to experienced clients and translating what he knows along the way, Elias is well-equipped to traverse the workplace.