A group of 15 Roxbury Community College (RCC) students got their competitive juices flowing at RCC’s first annual “Hackathon” last month. The three-person “Renaissance Coders” were named the winner, but all five teams gained valuable digital literacy, problem solving, collaboration, and Generative AI skills in completing the competition.

No prior experience was required to compete. The contest included students getting three hours to develop a digital solution to increase student adoption and engagement with RCC’s online platforms.

RCC Computer Science Club President Derek Goodwin, of Dorchester, led the immersive hands-on experience.

“It was beautiful to see how everyone’s minds started working,” Goodwin said of the Feb. 28 event. “People had fun, learned more about what a computer can do, and how to be creative with it.”

From left, Johandy Arias, RCC Computer Science Club President Derek Goodwin, and Tommy Nguyen. Goodwin of Dorchester was the driving force behind Roxbury Community College’s first annual Hackathon. Photos courtesy RCC

Goodwin is majoring in Information Technology and is also a member of the RCC AI Steering Committee.

Said Dr. Mya Bowen, the RCC Faculty Advisor for the event: “This event embodied the spirit of innovation and digital empowerment. They are values that are at the heart of our computer science program and the broader RCC community. It is our hope that the Hackathon will open up the floodgates of interest in technology for students across all disciplines, who might otherwise have been intimidated.”