Mentorship and networking transforms IIEs Varsity College waterfall IT students
The Hackathon event provides IIEs Varsity College Waterfall IT students with excellent opportunities to showcase their talent and connect with industry leaders.
A total of nine student teams from IIEs Varsity College Waterfall recently participated in a seven-hour hackathon.
The event provided an excellent opportunity for the students to showcase their talent and connect with industry leaders.
The hackathon allowed the students to put theory into practice and exposed them to possible employment and internship opportunities in the Higher Certificate in Mobile Applications and Web Development programme.
Handsome Mpofu, the campus School of IT programme manager, stated that this was the second hackathon hosted by the campus’ School of Information Technology.
He explained that the event was a huge success in transforming students into innovators, problem solvers, and collaborators.
The hackathon also forged lasting memories and professional connections with six IT companies, creating an electrifying atmosphere: Amazon Web Services, BET Software, FBK Markets, One Linkage, CREDIPPLE, and Reliance Cloud.
The students showcased their creativity and technical prowess through various projects. They presented ingenious solutions to real-world problems and cutting-edge technologies.
The hackathon showcased the incredible potential of young minds, and what stood out for Mpofu was the extraordinary synergy of diverse talents, the relentless pursuit of innovation, and the remarkable networking between the students and mentors from six companies.
The winners of the hackathon were announced at the end of the event. Team WinDDOwS emerged victorious, impressing the judges with their innovative ideas and technical implementation.
Following closely were teams REFLECT and System Sculptors, who secured second and third place, respectively.
Jimmy Tjotola, a third-year IIE Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Application Development student, said that overall the hackathon was a great experience.
Tjotola explained that they had to deal with bugs on the spot while conversing with the companies. “This exposed us to some pressure and we were definitely out of our comfort zones.
“I was the team leader of the REFLECT team, which came second. We created a pocket company using Python and Kivy. The pocket company was a cross-platform Python application which gave users access to AI employees to assist with their particular needs. My team won a Huawei smartwatch from AWS, other AWS merchandise and four AWS vouchers for certifications. I won a six-month internship with BET Software.”
The companies also awarded winners prizes.
