The Education Foundation of Sarasota County’s second annual student hackathon was held October 13-15, 2017, at Ringling College of Art + Design. The intense, three-day immersive experience paired nearly 100 students age 13-18 years old with over 40 mentors, forming 10 teams that worked to “hack their education” by creating technological applications designed to advance student learning. “Watching the student presentations and interaction with community mentors is nothing short of inspiring,” noted Jennifer Vigne, President of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. Team Carma took the grand prize, pitching an application they described as the “uber for students.” Utilizing properly screened adult volunteers, Carma would allow students to have safe transportation to and from school and school-related activities while notifying parents of their whereabouts throughout the ride. Members of the winning team each received an Apple iPad Pro. An added surprise was an invitation by SRQMedia CEO Lisl Liang to have Team Carma attend the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Symposia on Transportation as her guest.

Education Foundation of Sarasota County