I spend most Hackathons working on technical projects, but this time I had the opportunity to lead the Hackathon Planning Team. Planning an event with over 350 attendees is a lot of work, so I chose a less intense Hackathon project to work on. I also wanted to create a project that enabled as many non-technical folks to join as possible.

Before I get to the project, I want to take a moment to reflect on how happy I am with how the event came together. After a 48 hour hack, 23 teams presented their projects with an average of 5 hackers per team. We had 23 people join the Hackathon Planning Team, including 2 interns who volunteered for leadership positions. We were able to drive team focus by offering special awards for environmental and social engagement projects. And finally, each winning team chose an organization where they would donate their winnings. Through this Hackathon, we donated $1,500 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Sims Foundation, Carbon180, the Irish Wildlife Trust, No More Empty Pots, and the Central Texas Food Bank.

On a personal note, I had multiple opportunities to speak at several company Town Hall events. I haven’t always been confident speaking publicly, but through this Hackathon, I delivered the Awards presentation with more than 600 individuals in attendance. I’m glad to have had these opportunities, and I hope for more in the future.

Won’t you be my neighbor WP Engine?

My project, Won’t you be my neighbor WP Engine?, attempted to activate the WP Engine community to engage with their neighbors. 18 months into the pandemic, with many people vaccinated and low infection rates, it seemed the perfect time to ask folks to reengage with their local communities. The ask? Cook a dish and deliver it to at least one neighbor. I didn’t know my neighbors' food preferences or allergies, so I made gluten-free, soy-free, vegan oatmeal raisin cookies. They turned out to be delicious, and here’s how you can make them:

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups oats
3/4 cup raisins
1 banana

Instructions

  1. Bring butter to room temperature
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. With an electric mixer, mix butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, bannana, applesauce and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Let sit 5 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve
  4. Mix in Flour
  5. Mix in oats and raisins
  6. Portion dough onto pan with parchment
  7. Bake 8 minutes, pull out of oven and smush slightly to form flatter cookie. Return to oven for 8 minutes.

Bonus song: