2023 TECHCORPShack Regional Winners

Students Create Mobile Apps to Address Community Needs

The November 11, 2023 TECH CORPS Hackathon was a statewide competition held in Columbus, Dayton, and Elyria. More than 150 high school students from all over the state were part of the 12-hour event that culminated with the student’s presentation of their app.

During the TECH CORPS Hackathon, students learned how to use a SwiftUI mobile app development and received support and guidance from technology professionals from the community. The students were tasked with developing a mobile app that solved a real-world problem.

According to TECH CORPS National Executive Director Lisa M. Chambers, “Hackathons can sometimes be intimidating to students who have little or no previous experience with technology.”

“One of our goals with the TECHCORPShack is to recruit students who are traditionally under-represented in high school technology classes and who have little to no experience with coding,” said Chambers.

MentAlly, provides today’s teenagers and young adults with a safe space to learn more about various mental health conditions from the comfort of their own homes. As the world rapidly changes and new factors start to affect an individual’s mental health. MentAlly is of great importance to our community.

The ICON app helps to facilitate the transition for high school students who are pursuing college education and help them organize and manage their time.

The Sign Language Interpreter app is based on sign language so people can learn how to talk to their deaf friends and family. This app can help you learn sign language for future reference.

The Warchive app is a centralized database utilizing all available news, academia, and social media resources. Giving information for your interpretation.

The Emergency Aid app is a mobile application that provides medical knowledge and instruction in case of emergency to help people get appropriate help.

The Challegym app was designed to create education, excitement, and empowerment through exercise. This all-in-one app helps with mental health, well-being, and strength building.

Nearly 70 volunteers from the community turned out to support our students

The companies and organizations represented include: Barentz, BBI Logistics, Central Ohio Club NANBPWC Inc., CompTech, DHL Express, Eaton, Everykey, Fairway Strategies, Franklin County Auditor, Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services, Horizon Science Academy Lorain, Huntington National Bank, INTERalliance, KeyBank, Lit Fiber, Lorain County community, Lorain County Health Inspector, Nationwide Insurance, Oberlin City Schools, OURONN, Realtor.com/Beyond, Target, Tech Elevator, Tosoh Corporation, University of Cincinnati, Veeva, Visa, and WillowTree Apps.

The teams were judged on their app’s functionality, design, relevance, and overall presentation. The judging panel was comprised of regional technology professionals. The companies and organizations represented include: City of Columbus, Columbus Partnership/One Columbus, Columbus State Community College, ESC of Central Ohio, Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services, Franklin County Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI), GCP, Generally Bad Gamers LLC, Google, Huntington, Lead The Way Learning Academy, Nordson, Per Scholas, TECH CORPS Board of Directors, Wemblr, and WillowTree Apps.

Each regional teammate won $200 and will be recognized at the Ohio Statehouse in December during Computer Science Education Week.