If there is one field I would like to meet new people in, it would definitely be to meet people who are great at programming. Furthermore, I wanted to try something new this year and reach outside of my comfort zone by trying something new. After my first year at UofT, I decided to apply to be a operations executive at Hack the 6ix. Hack the 6ix (HT6) is Toronto’s largest summer student-run, not-for-profit hackathon. Over 300 students participate at HT6 every year, and best believe that HT6 2025 would be even bigger! You can check out the Hack the 6ix website here, the Hack the 6ix Instagram here!

For HT6 2026, I will be working as an Operations Co-Director. I’m really confident that we can make HT6 2026 an even better event after a successful HT6 2025! There are a couple new initiatives that we are implementing this year, including more ways to keep the team informed on operations activities, and creating new projects that will make for an innovative HT6 experience.

In my role as an operations executive, my goal is ensure that Hack the 6ix runs as smoothly as possible. Along with the rest of the operations team, we are responsible for making sure that HT6 2025 is as streamlined as possible, and all contingencies are accounted for. To ensure that all team members are held accountable, the operations team tasks are split up amongst the various team members, and each team member is responsible for getting their tasks complete. Me personally, I am responsible for ensuring that a venue outreach. Venue outreach involves ensuring that a venue gets booked out for HT6 2025, and that the venue has sufficient space, amenities, security, and Internet for prospective hackers.

One of the main components of my operations (ops) task of venue outreach is researching potential venues for future HT6 events. This involves going our database of venue information from previous years and iterating on it to create an up-to-date database of potential venues for HT6. Going back to Engineering Strategies and Practice, think of this as considering the entire scope instead of limiting yourself. From there, I can start to narrow down my list of potential venues, based on the requirements for the space. For example, HT6 is a student-run, not-for-profit, so booking a venue that would cost of $100,000 per night is probably not viable (unless somebody wants to sponsor us, then PLEASE reach out to us). Making sure that all possible options are exercised is crucial in finding the right venue.

One challenge that I have found when reaching out to venues is that it is difficult to explain how HT6 would be using the space. A lot of businesses do not know what a hackathon is, so explaining how a hackathon works and what hackers will be doing is a challenge. Furthermore, I think the word “hacker” can subconsciously evoke negative emotions associated with illicit activity, making it hard to explain that HT6 is an event for students to demonstrate their programming skills and create unique projects in a limited time. Despite the challenges that the HT6 team has faced, I think that the work the HT6 team has done will help make HT6 even better this year! I had a lot of fun at HT6 2025! You can see some of my favorite moments here!