On Saturday, February 15, Irvington Hack Club, in collaboration with the Computer Science club, hosted Viking Hacks — Irvington’s very own hackathon open to all high schoolers in the Bay Area. The event aimed to provide high school students with an in-person hackathon experience, completed with workshops, mentoring, a guest speaker event, and the main hacking competition.
Organizing a hackathon of this scale required months of preparation, including securing sponsorships to keep the event free and accessible. The sponsorships covered anticipated and unanticipated costs, from food and overtime janitor fees to the grand prize — a pair of Sony ANC headphones. Hackers were able to enjoy a variety of food options, including Domino’s pizza and pasta, Panda Express Takeout, and snacks from Costco. Kelly Jia (12), one of the organizers, shared that the main priority has been “reaching out to sponsors” since September. To do so, some members even “wrote a Python script to help automate emails,” Jia exclaimed.
Their efforts — including emails, meetups, and calls to sponsors — paid off, bringing a $5000 grant from San Francisco Bay University and other companies. Additionally, Jia mentioned that one of the main challenges organizers faced was underestimating costs. Another issue was a tech system failure and a delay in judging, which forced Jia to improvise on stage for 25 minutes.
Despite setbacks, the event was a success, featuring high-quality events throughout to keep participants engaged. Eric Lan (12), another organizer, reflected, “Last year, we coordinated workshops with experts we knew and reached out to. This year, we shifted our focus to giving participants more time to work on projects.” However, a new addition was the guest speaker event, which enriched the experience. Matthew Chan (11), a participant stated, “building a prototype app under such a time crunch was tough, but the pressure pushed us to create something that better followed the education pathway while allowing for creative freedom.”
Jia emphasized that the purpose of Viking Hacks is to provide high schoolers with a “fun in-person hackathon, which is currently lacking in the Bay Area.” More than anything, organizers prioritized increasing “access to workshops and mentors” so students participating got exposure to the computer science industry. “I choose to participate in Viking Hacks because I wanted to help out my friends, enjoy programming, and find a way to challenge myself,” Chan echoed.
Ultimately, Viking Hacks 2025 brought together students of all experience levels from across the Bay Area, inspiring them to take on programming challenges. Looking ahead, Lan expressed confidence in the next generation of organizers, saying, “We’re handing the reins to the underclassmen, hoping they’ll continue this event for years to come. I have high hopes that they’ll build on the progress we’ve made and expand even further.”
