Since 2017, students at Florida International University (and across South Florida) have poured countless hours, sweat (even tears sometimes) and energy into ShellHacks, Florida’s largest hackathon. Hundreds of projects using the latest technologies and innovation, coupled with companies, sponsors, recruiters, and mentors, have made ShellHacks a highlight for students in tech.
Organized by INIT at FIU – a tech organization that helps students land a tech job through programs, career development, and internship opportunities – ShellHacks has seen huge numbers over the years: 1,400+ hackers, 40 + sponsors, 230+ projects, and $20,000 in prizes for challenge winners.
Hear from this year’s organizers on what you can expect and how to prepare for the annual hackathon happening this weekend on FIU’s main campus (answers are edited for brevity and clarity):
Refresh Miami: How has ShellHacks evolved over the years?
Dania Hernandez, Hack Project Manager for ShellHacks, junior at FIU majoring in computer science:
Over the years, ShellHacks has gone through a significant amount of growth. This year marks our ninth year, and when it first started, ShellHacks was a tiny little event. It was an FIU-based event that had, maybe, a little over 100 people. And now, we have more than 1,400 attendees. The growth, alongside ShellHacks’ visibility, has been insane.
Elizabeth Hechavarria, Hack Project Manager for ShellHacks, senior at FIU majoring in cybersecurity:
We’ve grown increasingly throughout the years, and not only with sponsors and hackers, but people who want to participate as volunteers and mentors as well.
Refresh Miami: Can you talk to me about last year’s ShellHacks? What can participants expect this year that’s different from last year?
Elizabeth: We’ve gotten really great, positive feedback from participants who were at ShellHacks last year. They really love the organization, dedication, passion, and drive that they saw from the team behind ShellHacks. But something different that we did this year is pre-ShellHacks interdisciplinary workshops, where we spent time with students and hackers going over topics like the basics of AI, web-dev, and fixing up their resumes to help prepare them for the hackathon this year.
Refresh Miami: How can students prepare for ShellHacks? What should participants look forward to?
Dania: One of the questions we get asked a lot is – ‘oh, I don’t know how to code’ or ‘I don’t really know how to do anything, so I can’t really attend ShellHacks.’ And our answer to that is ‘yes, you can absolutely attend ShellHacks, because we will teach you everything.’ We’ve held the workshops for hackers to learn the skills they need to know for the challenges, but we also want to advise that students should have their resumes ready to go – we have a lot of sponsors attending this year, and there will be so many opportunities for networking.
Elizabeth: Something else to look forward to is our new title sponsor, which is Google Cloud, and they’re doing a challenge specifically on that platform – so that’s something hackers can start looking at before the big day. We’re also looking forward to seeing new sponsors, like Netflix, which is super exciting. There are so many sponsors who are coming, and they’re not just looking for technical talent. Anybody can come by ShellHacks – you don’t have to be a computer science or cybersecurity major. The sponsors and recruiters will be recruiting for all roles and positions.
Refresh Miami: What advice do you have for students and hackers who are participating this year?
Elizabeth: Be ready to share your LinkedIn profile with recruiters! Have your professional profile, elevator pitch, resume, and your personal selling points ready. You never know what opportunity will come your way.
Dania: Energy drinks and coffee to stay awake for 36 hours! Whenever I’d go into ShellHacks, I’d also be ready to talk to as many people as people. Networking is one of the biggest things you can do for yourself at ShellHacks, so just be ready to talk to a lot of people. Also, try brushing up on essential tech topics and skills, and brainstorm ideas beforehand so you’re not spending time brainstorming when the challenges begin. A lot of hackers tend to stretch themselves too thin – you only have 36 hours, so I’d say to keep your scope limited but effective and creative.
IF YOU GO
ShellHacks is coming back to FIU’s campus Sept. 26-28. The free event will enable students and recent graduates from any local university to learn new tech, meet top companies, build innovative projects, and compete for prizes. Find out more about the event at Shellhacks.net.
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