There are times when Dylan Vidal, Leonard Gofman, and Richard Phillips get together and sound like brothers, or at least roommates. They laugh at random comments with the inside knowledge of guys who have done some life together. They finish each other 麻豆精品 S檚 stories because they know them so well. They share a passion for technology, yet you wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 describe any of them as hard-wired, impersonal tech enthusiasts 麻豆精品 S� quite the opposite, actually. And that has become their most unique connection.
麻豆精品 S淚 think we 麻豆精品 S檇 agree that it all points back to the culture of Knight Hacks, 麻豆精品 S� says Vidal, president of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 widely acclaimed software-development and hackathon organization. His is the first of many references to that word: culture.
Gofman, vice president of Knight Hacks, makes a slight addition. 麻豆精品 S淭he culture and community, that 麻豆精品 S檚 what sets us apart. 麻豆精品 S�
Phillips, who organizes events as Hack lead, tightens the bow. 麻豆精品 S淚 think you guys said it all. 麻豆精品 S�
The computer science students aren 麻豆精品 S檛 trying to sell Knight Hacks, just expressing out loud how they 麻豆精品 S檝e experienced UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 hack world. Vidal, a senior, wondered if he was tech-savvy enough when he first sampled the club. 麻豆精品 S淣ow, 麻豆精品 S� he says, 麻豆精品 S淚 could talk about Knight Hacks forever. 麻豆精品 S�
Gofman and Phillips raise their eyebrows and nod, as if admitting either, 麻豆精品 S淵es, we could, 麻豆精品 S� or 麻豆精品 S淵es, he 肠辞耻濒诲. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淎 lot of students come with their heads down, maybe thinking of Knight Hacks only as a path into job recruitment, … and then find themselves in this fun, helpful community. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Leonard Gofman, student
During a typical week during the fall semester they spend at least three evenings with Knight Hacks members, visitors, organizers and sponsors. No one shows up because they have to, it 麻豆精品 S檚 because they want to. The club 麻豆精品 S� which started 10 years ago with 80 members and now boasts 1,000 麻豆精品 S� offers mentorship, tech workshops, interview training, preparation for internships and a home where like-minded students can create usable technology while asking each other, 麻豆精品 S�What can I do to make this idea better? 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淎 lot of students come with their heads down, maybe thinking of Knight Hacks only as a path into job recruitment, 麻豆精品 S� Gofman says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey might anticipate a seriously competitive environment where you have to prove yourself, and then find themselves in this fun, helpful community. 麻豆精品 S�
He has just described how he, Vidal, and Phillips came to know Knight Hacks. Where they once envisioned the future of technology from a distance, they now envision the future with themselves in it.
麻豆精品 S淭here can be a feeling in technology that what you know is never good enough, 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says. 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 why Knight Hacks has been such a game-changer, even for our officers and directors. 麻豆精品 S�
Phillips clears his throat. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 true. I 麻豆精品 S檝e been there. 麻豆精品 S�
He tells the story of coming to UCF as a transfer student from Broward Community College and immediately being surrounded by really smart computer science majors.
麻豆精品 S淚 had to get through 麻豆精品 S攚hat 麻豆精品 S檚 that word? 麻豆精品 S� Phillips says.
麻豆精品 S淚mposter syndrome? 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says.
麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 it, imposter syndrome, 麻豆精品 S� Phillips says.
麻豆精品 S淚 was riddled with imposter syndrome, too, 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says. It 麻豆精品 S檚 a surprising admission from the confident leaders they are today.
For Phillips, everything changed when he attended his first Hack Day.
麻豆精品 S淭hose same smart people helped me debug a code I 麻豆精品 S檇 been struggling with, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey leveled me up and made me feel like I belong. From that day forward, I wanted to be like them 麻豆精品 S� highly skilled and willing to help others. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淭hey leveled me up and made me feel like I belong. From that day forward, I wanted to be like them 麻豆精品 S� highly skilled and willing to help others. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Richard Phillips, student
The willingness to help is one of many bridges that makes the Knight Hacks culture so unique. There are also bridges to knowledge, relationships and into the massively real world of technology. Those bridges spanned the country this summer as Vidal is in Santa Clara, California, where he interns with Nvidia. Gofman was in Bellevue, Washington, interning with Statsig, and Phillips was interning in Miami with Florida Blue, which chose him from a pool of 3,000 applicants.
麻豆精品 S淭he mock interviews we do at Knight Hacks helped us tremendously, 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says. 麻豆精品 S淚 have to emphasize again, the culture of the organization is so much more than coding. 麻豆精品 S�
Gofman: 麻豆精品 S淭ech companies are looking for candidates who know how to work in teams. 麻豆精品 S�
Phillips: 麻豆精品 S淐andidates who always want to keep learning. 麻豆精品 S�
Back to Vidal: 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檝e learned little tricks of the trade through mentorship. For example, I was told to scan the QR codes at trade events to improve my position in each company 麻豆精品 S檚 database. We also learned how to make our resumes more performant as they pass through algorithms. It exemplifies our mission: to bridge the gap from the classroom to industry. 麻豆精品 S�
Thousands of students have crossed the bridge since Knight Hacks launched in 2015. Many of them have been introduced to the organization 麻豆精品 S檚 culture at its signature annual event: fall Hackathon.
麻豆精品 S淗ackathon is the pinnacle, 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says.
This year, on Friday, Oct. 24, more than 600 students will begin showing up at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 engineering buildings and business administration buildings, carrying laptops, pillows, toothbrushes, and maybe a sleeping bag or air mattress. At exactly 10 p.m., the software-building marathon will begin. For the next 36 hours, participants will code, collaborate and grow from being around each other. Some might nap. Sponsors will provide seven meals and unlimited water and energy drinks.
麻豆精品 S淲e make it a point to have fun, but essentially, hackathon is whatever each person wants it to be, 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says. 麻豆精品 S淪ome will focus only on the golden trophy 麻豆精品 S� not stopping to eat, just coding, coding, coding. That 麻豆精品 S檚 fine. But they might miss the benefits of Hackathon and the interesting nuances that make Knight Hacks special. 麻豆精品 S�
Among the interesting nuances are midnight karaoke, a frying pan award for the most obscure project, and a paper airplane competition at 2 a.m. to encourage participants to look up, clear their eyes, and take it all in.
麻豆精品 S淭he paper airplane competition started as an off-the-wall idea and wound up with a sponsor, 麻豆精品 S� Gofman says. 麻豆精品 S淚t shows us that tech companies really do value our culture. 麻豆精品 S�
They value the talented people within it, too, knowing that any college student who chooses participate in Hackathon could instead be doing 麻豆精品 S渢raditional 麻豆精品 S� college student things 麻豆精品 S� playing games, going to the beach and sleeping.
麻豆精品 S淚nstead, we 麻豆精品 S檙e up all night building software and building relationships, 麻豆精品 S� Vidal says.
The clearest illustration of the Knight Hack culture mentioned again and again during this interview are, ironically, the three students on the call. At various times, they each say they weren 麻豆精品 S檛 the most social or confident programmer when they enrolled at UCF. You 麻豆精品 S檇 never know it from the way they speak or from the locations where they 麻豆精品 S檙e interning.
Gofman: 麻豆精品 S淵ou never know where a first step will take you. 麻豆精品 S�
Phillips: 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 never too early and never too late. 麻豆精品 S�
Vidal: 麻豆精品 S淟ike I said, we could talk about this forever. 麻豆精品 S�
He seems to mean it literally. The real world of technology, however, never stops spinning. And these Knights have work to do.
