Tell us about your background and the diverse experiences you bring to the tech industry. (150 words max)
I’ve always been fascinated by how things work. From a young age, I loved taking apart old radios and toasters, trying to understand their intricate mechanisms. This curiosity fueled my passion for technology, leading me to explore various STEM-related subjects and activities in school. I’ve gained hands-on experience in coding, robotics, and electronics through personal projects and extracurricular clubs. These experiences have not only strengthened my technical skills but also fostered my problem-solving abilities and creativity. I’m eager to leverage my passion and knowledge to contribute to the ever-evolving tech industry, where I hope to create innovative solutions that make a real difference.
How do you envision incorporating diversity and inclusion into the products you create, perhaps even at PennApps? (150 words max)
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are core values I strive to embody in my work. My research experience with Dr. Alvine Boaye Belle, where I investigated the barriers faced by underrepresented groups in tech and the negative impact of homogenous teams on AI/ML development, has solidified my commitment to DEI.
At PennApps and beyond, I envision incorporating DEI through:
Intentional team building: Actively seeking diverse collaborators to enrich our creative process and ensure varied perspectives are represented.
Accessibility: Ensuring our products are usable by individuals with varying abilities.
Education and advocacy: Continuously learning about DEI and advocating for inclusive practices within the tech community.
By embedding DEI principles into product development, I believe we can create innovative solutions that empower and uplift all users.
Why do you want to attend PennApps?* (150 words max)
As a self-proclaimed explorer, PennApps would be an exciting first for me on many levels. I’m eager to immerse myself in the vibrant atmosphere of the Penn campus, which I’ve only ever dreamed of visiting. As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada who hasn’t been stateside in years, this opportunity would allow me to reconnect with my American heritage while doing something I love.
What truly draws me to PennApps, though, is the potential for both collaboration and connection. I’ve made incredible friends at Canadian hackathons, and I’m eager to see what the US hackathon scene has to offer. I’m excited to meet fellow students who share my passion for technology and problem-solving, to learn from their unique perspectives and experiences, and to forge new friendships with like-minded individuals.
Tell us about a time you and a team faced a challenge and worked together to overcome it. What did you learn from the experience?* (150 words max)
Okay, this was a silly one. At Hack the Valley, my team and I were struggling to implement Meta’s internal OAuth from scratch. Their documentation insisted that a specific token be sent as body data in the request, but no matter what we tried, authentication failed.
After hours of frustration, someone on the team decided to try sending the token as form data instead, against the documentation’s advice. To our surprise, it worked! We were relieved but also a little baffled by the discrepancy.
This experience taught us the importance of not blindly trusting documentation and to always be willing to experiment and test different approaches. It also highlighted the value of collaboration, as each team member’s unique perspective contributed to finding the solution.
Tell us about a cool project you’ve worked on or a problem you would want to solve using tech. Why did you choose to work on it, and what did you learn from it. Feel free to include any relevant links. (150 words max)
The project that continues to resonate with me is a scavenger hunt platform I built, available on GitHub (https://github.com/wlmac/scavenger). What sets it apart is the built-in anti-cheat mechanism.
By hashing the unique ID of each team with the IDs of the hunt and the specific clue, the platform generates a personalized path for every team. This means if Team A tries to follow Team B’s route, they won’t be able to scan the QR codes because the codes and order are tailored to their individual path.
I was inspired to create this project because traditional scavenger hunts often get quickly ruined once somebody finds the last clue accidently and shares it with all. I’ve successfully run two events with this platform, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to see participants engage with the technology in a fun and interactive way.