Our Crowdfunding Groups
Our team hopes to raise $4000 for our annual hackathon. We will use the money to provide the best experience for our students from under-resourced backgrounds. Would you be interested in supporting our cause?
A hackathon is rooted in the simple, but complex world of “creation.” During hackathons, teams come together to bring one of their own ideas into tangible reality using technology. Regardless of their interest in computer science, students are exposed to the wonders of technology and its impact on our world. Together, we can inspire the next generation of innovators to hack to new heights.
Every semester, ANova puts on a hackathon for students in underserved communities. This year, ANova Hacks will be a hybrid hackathon with a virtual introductory week and an in-person overnight, free-of-charge hackathon designed to change the way our students think about computer science. We want to give them the skills and experience necessary to achieve their career aspirations, and spread their ideas to the world through technology.
As students at a top school for computer science, ANova recognizes the importance of diversity. The majority of our students come from urban areas where most students are not exposed to computer science or higher education. We hope to not only transform the spark of an idea into a prototype, but also to ignite a passion for computer science in our participants. By presenting a firsthand look at virtual reality, gaming, information security, artificial intelligence, and more, we provide students with an exciting look into the forefront of technological innovation.
ANova Hacks merges the fundamental computer science techniques taught at our weekly site visits with events geared towards the construction of a project. Panels and workshops about financial aid, college life and the application process inspire students to pursue higher education in one of their passions. We offer students knowledge and advice from successful, experienced industry leaders as well as mentorship from passionate UC Berkeley students. Most of all, ANova Hacks is about forming friendships with these students so that they have the resources they need to achieve their goals.
Oftentimes, the hackers who attend hackathons have built before and have been exposed to the infinite possibilities out there. Computer science has consistently been more prevalent in communities with consistent access to computers and the tech industry. However, a significant amount of potential computer scientists don’t have these opportunities, and that’s where ANova Hacks fits in: a hackathon specially for students in under-resourced communities to instill the belief into our students that every one of them can change the world through a college education and through the power of technology. We hope to empower our students through this hackathon so that they can transcend the limits of their circumstance and ignite a passion towards becoming an engineer in the future. We hope that you can be a part of this journey and help us make this possible for our students!
Our hackathon aims to empower our students to not only pursue a college degree, but also use technology for social good. Through ANova Hacks, we aim to give them the skills and experience necessary to spread their ideas to the world. We imagine a diverse tech industry where age, gender and background do not limit one’s ability to pursue computer science, and ANova Hacks aims to make that a reality.
To introduce our students to various kinds of technologies they may be able to use throughout the hackathon, we will bring in industry experts and host a variety of workshops. Last year, we led a completely virtual hackathon through various platforms, and hosted workshops ranging from sessions on financial aid and higher education to lessons on machine learning and hardware. Our experienced ANova members also led workshops on web development, design, and introductory Python and Java. At ANova Hacks 2022, we hope to bring even more interesting and enlightening workshops to our students, such as sessions on computer security and game development. Thus, in addition to having 24-hour mentorship for projects, each student will have access to educational workshops throughout the hackathon led by passionate UC Berkeley students. ANova Hacks is about forming friendships with these students and empowering them so that they have the resources they need to achieve their goals.
To make this valuable experience accessible to our students, we host this hackathon free of charge. We aim to ultimately raise $10,000 for our hackathon so that we can run as many workshops as we can in a spacious venue with awesome prizes for our hackers. These $4,000 from Crowdfunding are only the first step in our journey to providing students with a safe, encouraging environment to work, learn, and have fun.
In addition, several students were unable to attend ANova Hacks in 2018 due to conflicts with transportation to and from the venue. In order to encourage more students to attend our event, we would like to offer a transportation reimbursement option or pre-paid BART tickets, which would support students who would otherwise be unable to afford a trip to the hackathon. With extra funding, we’d like to encourage more students to attend our event by covering their transportation fees. We hope that you’ll be a part of our movement to inspire as many students as possible with computer science, mentorship, and a supportive, hands-on learning environment!
To truly expose our students to what industry is like, ANova has partnered with industry leaders like Google, Facebook, and HackerEarth in previous years to provide swag and panelists for our hackathon. Our sponsors have made previous hackathons possible with their invaluable experience in helping out with workshops and panels to give our students the full experience. We would like to thank them below for making previous ANova Hacks amazing:
ANova is a registered student organization in UC Berkeley dedicated to improving computer science education in under-resourced communities across the Bay Area. We partner with middle and high school teachers and administrators to develop curriculum catered individually for each classroom. Our outreach and mentorship efforts strive to introduce students of all backgrounds to computer science.
We currently reach out to over 100 students at ten different middle/high school programs. To be considered for our program, each one of these schools must provide above 40% free and reduced lunch. Every site has its own curriculum catered to its own specific needs. As part of our mission, we also host ANova Hacks annually, an event dedicated to showing the wonders of computer science to our students.
Help ANova fund a 24-hour hackathon for under-resourced students and spread the love for Computer Science! Please make a gift today!
To find out more about us, visit us at berkeleyanova.org or facebook.com/BerkeleyANova.
With a donation of $25 of more we will give you a shoutout from our social media platform of your choice (Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn).
With a donation of $50 of more we will send you a personalized thank you letter and you will receive all perks listed above.
With a donation of $100 or more we will feature you on our club website's donor wall and you will receive all perks listed above.
With a donation of $500 or more, you are invited to meet the officers, give you a shout-out during the hackathon for your contribution, and you will receive all perks listed above.
With a donation of $1000 or more, you will be invited to attend the awards ceremony at our hackathon where you can get a taste of our students' projects. You can also take a picture with the students at the hackathon, which we will frame and sign for you. You will receive all perks listed above.
