Jeremy Su says, “it was like trying to teach a fish fluid dynamics” when his parents sent him to a programming camp to spend two weeks learning Python. “I wasn’t interested in programming before the camp, and I still wasn’t interested after.” After discovering Java, Jeremy had a temporary surge of inspiration and felt like a hacker from a movie, but it quickly subsided.

Inspired by the hackathon scene from the Korean drama Start-Up, and hoping to make his programming journey more enjoyable, Jeremy started to research hackathons. He stumbled on the Major League Hacking (MLH) community and decided to register for the first hackathon he could participate in, SimpliHacks 2.0. His older sister was one of his teammates, guiding him through APIs and showing him React. The experience introduced him to web development, which he says “felt like breaking free from the Matrix,” and once again got him excited about tech. Over the course of the 48-hour hackathon, Jeremy says that though he did not sleep or shower, he learned more than he ever thought possible and had so much fun that he almost forgot to eat! Jeremy was brand new to React but still handled the functionality of their project, Nourpact, which was designed to help eliminate food waste and won 1st for Best Domain Name and 2nd place for the College Division.

Of his hackathon experience, Jeremy says, “before I joined the hacker community, I felt quite lost in life. I didn’t have many goals, whether in school or otherwise. However, participating in hackathons and creating connections with people there helped me to realize my interest in programming.” Since SimpliHacks, Jeremy has continued to develop his programming skill set, pursuing AI and machine learning projects. He participated in several more hackathons and submitted winning projects at Hack the Valley 7, DeltaHacks IX, uOttaHack 5, and more. Jeremy credits the friends he has made through the hacker community with inspiring him to always aim higher and become a better leader.

Jeremy also has a passion for sharing his love of technology with others, and says, “while I enjoy every aspect of a hackathon, from the prizes to the people, it’s the opportunity to help aspiring hackers that truly excites me.” At each hackathon he has participated in, Jeremy has gone out of his way to choose teammates who have an interest in pursuing careers in STEM fields but aren’t sure where to start. He loves helping people uncover their inner genius by finding and leveraging their own unique strengths within STEM.

Beyond hackathons, at his high school in Markham, Ontario, Jeremy is the President of the Science Club, and recently started a chapter for STEM Fellowship. Between hosting workshops and promoting hackathons with the STEM Fellowship, Jeremy is also working to create the school’s first physics team. Currently, Jeremy is the lead organizer of AliceHacks, where he is encouraging projects with a touch of “goofiness, imagination, and creativity, rather than just technicality.” Always seeking new challenges, Jeremy has also joined and competed with the FIRST Robotics Team, Markham FireBirds. His engagement in his community has allowed him to reach new heights while helping others unlock their passions.