KeyBank Supports TECH CORPS Hackathon in Cleveland
Eight Northeast Ohio high school students earned first place at the 2022 TECH CORPS Hackathon sponsored by KeyBank and CoverMyMeds. More than 75 high school students participated in the statewide competition held in Cleveland on November 12. The 12-hour Cleveland event was hosted at Cuyahoga Community College and culminated with the students’ presentation of their app.
The “Decepticon” team developed an app called “Recyccofact” that helps users discover the effects of plastic pollution on the environment. The app empowers users through educational facts that can prevent oceans and animals from becoming endangered. Team members included Amier Remsor-Wilbon, 11th grade, MC2STEM High School; Eliza Clayton, 9th grade, Warrensville Heights High School; Gabriel Leonard, 12th grade, Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School; Romel Martin, 9th grade, Lorain High School. Their mentor was Adeline Dascoli, a Systems Analyst with Barentz.
The “Thunder Pirates” team developed an app called “Empower”. It provides users with emotional, physical and social support. Team members wanted to provide a platform where users could express their feelings and seek professional therapeutic support. Team members included:
Emmanuel Moore, 9th grade, Clearview High School; Jeremy Abukarma, 12th grade, John Marshall School of IT; Jayden Lane, 10th grade, Warrensville Heights High School; Penelope Manley, 11th grade, John Hay School of Science and Medicine. The team’s mentor was Cameron Payne, a 3rd-year Cyber and Information Security major at Lorain County Community College.
During the TECH CORPS Hackathon, students learned how to use a mobile app development tool and received support and guidance from technology professionals from the community. “This year we challenged the students to develop a mobile app that would educate, excite and/or empower their community,” explained National Executive Director, Lisa M. Chamber. “We gave them the flexibility to be creative when thinking about what ‘community’ meant to them.”
The students addressed issues important to them including the environment, education and mental health. Chambers shared, “I was inspired by how the kids connected using technology to improve their communities.”
KeyBank Sr. Business Technology Executive, Commercial Bank, Alicia Stone, was a guest speaker at the hackathon. More than 40 hackathon students were encouraged as Ms. Stone shared her story of how she became a KeyBank executive.
Prabakaran Tamilselvan, Full stack Technical Lead at KeyBank, was a volunteer mentor at the hackathon. He coached his team to second place by helping the students develop an environmental app. The app helps users find environmentally-friendly alternatives to personal care products used every day.
The winning teams were judged on their app’s functionality, design and relevance as well as their overall presentation. The judging panel was comprised of area professionals from Cleveland Foundation, Cocoon Technologies Inc., Hyland, JumpStart, Mas LaRae and Rockwell.
