The best way to gain experience programming is to create projects and apps, even if they are simple programs that doesn’t do much. This year, Ohio State hosted the 5th annual hackathon, and it was the first that I attended. A hackthon is similar to a marathon. In marathon, people run for an extended period of time. In a hackathon, people make projects and apps for an extended period of time. HackOHI/O was an event where many people gathered to make projects for 24 hours, and then had the opportunity to be judged to win awards.

During this event, I helped my team of 2 other friends brainstorm and design an app during this time. The process was tiring. We had decided to use Android studios, a platform used to design and build apps. I had never used it before, so I had to learn the basics very quickly. It took a lot of brainpower to learn Android Studios and to try and write code destined to be faulty and then fix it all within 24 hours. Nonetheless, the process really sharpened and enhanced my skills in problem solving, brainstorming, and critical thinking. In addition, I was able to talk to people from companies such as Battelle and JP Morgan Chase and to learn about internship opportunities. At the end of the hackathon, my team and I won a sponsor challenge which was very exciting and motivates me more to continue to do events like these to improve my skills.

Coming into Ohio State as a first-year student who has limited knowledge of programming, getting and internship was not on my radar. After a few weeks, I learned that trying to get an internship as a first-year is not futile; it carries its benefits in experience and learning how to talk to employers. Ohio State has an annual Engineering Expo where tens of companies come and recruit students and alumni for jobs and internships. I had heard about the expo, but was unsure of whether to attend or not. I had almost nothing to put on my resume, no work or prior internship experience, and almost no knowledge of programming. I could not see the benefit of attending. However, many people advised me to attend so that I learn how to talk to employers, as well as how to write and prepare a resume.

Attending the Engineering Expo has been the most fascinating experiences I have had on campus so far. There were all these prestigious companies such as Nation Wide, Fifth-Third Bank, JP Morgan Chase, as well as agencies such as the NSA. At first, talking to the employers was difficult. I did not know what to say, and I was just looking at them while they asked question like, “What are you looking for?” and I had no prepared answer. But, as the event went on, and I talked to more and more employers, I gained confidence,refined my thoughts, and was able to articulate to employers what I was looking for and what I was interested in. On top of all of that, I gained experience writing a professional resume and really digging deep into what experiences I have that are valuable. Overall, attending the expo was one the best decisions I have made yet as it gave me so much experience to reflect and build on.

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]