Huston-Tillotson University to Host Hackathon Designed to Solve Local Problems
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Posted By: Huston-Tillotson University on March 12, 2015 (AUSTIN, Texas) 3.12.15 — An Inaugural hackathon by MVMT50 at SXSW, presented by PayPal and powered by Qeyno Labs, will take place on the campus of Huston-Tillotson University, 900 Chicon Street, Saturday through Sunday, March 14-15, 2015. The hackathon is the first-ever youth and diversity focused hackathon at SXSW. A hackathon is a collaborative event where individuals meet and engage in solving a problem to impact social good. Through community partnerships, MVMT50 will provide 50 phenomenal high school and college students, a safe environment, mentors, and the technological tools needed to solve local community problems through designing and building apps. The all-day, two-day hackathon is free to participating youth and to adult professionals seeking to be their mentors. All students who are interested in using technology to solve a real-world problem are encouraged to apply. Coding knowledge is not required to gain access to this opportunity; and this opportunity is open to all majors. Students, teachers, families, organizations, and caregivers are encouraged to register students as soon as possible at www.divhackathon.com by March 7. The 50-selected students will be paired with professional mentors to collaborate and build a web or mobile-based app hacking the Education, Health, or Justice sectors. The Justice Track seeks solutions related to balancing the scales of justice for marginalized people of color. This track will focus on strategies empowering ex-offenders to make successful transitions to fully-contributing members of society. The Health Track will focus on issues related to improving the experience and health care options available to people of color. Additionally, this track will focus on solutions for increasing diversity in the medical profession. The Education Track will address issues related to disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline system, college readiness, acceptance and completion and career guidance for minority students. A majority of the selected students, referred to as Trailblazers, will include black, Latino/a, Native-American, and under-represented Asian and Pacific Islanders. Trailblazers will spend two days on teams working alongside adult professionals supporting the students as they build websites and mobile apps that will positively impact their community and improve their life outcome. Autumn Caviness, Director of the hackathon and HT’s Assistant Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program, views “this Inaugural hackathon as serving as an information conduit for talented students to diversity in the technology space. We want our target students to understand that they can be more than consumers of technology; they too can be creators, innovators, and disruptors of today’s technology.” At the end of the Inaugural hackathon, participants will walk away with a sense of accomplishment, inspired by experiencing what is possible when brilliant people get together to solve problems. For more information or to register youth, visit www.mvmt50.com/hack contact Autumn Caviness, HT’s Assistant Director, W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program, at 512.505.3163, adcaviness@htu.edu. ### About MVMT50 MVMT50 is a coalition of Black tech thought leaders who gather annually during SXSW Interactive to highlight the impact African Americans have in shaping innovation. Facebook, Twitter: @mvmt50 About Qeyno Labs Qeyno is the leading provider of inclusive hackathons guiding high potential youth in low opportunity settings into STEM career pathways. Using coding literacy, art, and mentorship, Qeyno leads the way in playful learning experiences that make “hackathon” a household word in every home and is committed to lifting innovation in every community. www.qeyno.com, Facebook, Twitter: @qeyno About PayPal At PayPal, we put people at the center of everything we do. Founded in 1998, we created an open and secure payments ecosystem that empowers people and businesses to securely transact with each other online, in stores and on mobile devices. We believe technology creates more opportunities. And we’re committed to inclusion and opportunity inside our company as well. Diversity matters. It makes us stronger, and makes us better. For more information about PayPal, please visit www.paypal.com. About Huston-Tillotson University As a historically black institution, Huston-Tillotson University’s mission is to provide opportunities to a diverse population for academic achievement with an emphasis on academic excellence, spiritual and ethical development, civic engagement, and leadership in a nurturing environment. The University offers associate and master’s degrees in addition to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 20 areas of study. Visit Huston-Tillotson University online at www.htu.edu. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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