Introducing “We Hack!” Coding Challenge for Female Students

TUNE is planning to host a free coding event for female college-aged students in the Seattle area. “We Hack!” is designed to support the growth and development of women in certain areas of study within science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields who demonstrate a passion for technology and are likely to pursue a career in software development.

Organized by TUNE’s employee-led diversity committee, We Lead, the event is an extension of the company’s broader initiative to increase diversity in recruitment, retention and advancement in technical and leadership roles. TUNE last year launched the TUNE House, a University of Washington scholarship program that includes free housing, professional mentors and additional resources to support students’ studies.

Sign Up for “We Hack!”

Registration is now open for the “We Hack!” coding event. This event is a free, two-day coding competition for female students of all skill levels. Activities will be held from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 14, with a special midnight surprise for those who stay to code through the night, and officially resumes at 8:30 a.m. on May 15. Judging and awarding prizes will begin at 3:30 p.m. that day, with closing remarks at 5:30 p.m.

Seattle is fortunate to be home to so much incredible technical talent, but too often and for a variety of reasons, women abandon technical careers or don’t pursue them in the first place. As part of the tech community, we have an opportunity and arguably a responsibility to help correct that. This coding event is just one of the ways we’re hoping to support and develop exceptional future technical leaders.

Eligibility and Prizes

In addition to competing for the chance to win prizes including an Arduino engineering kit, two tickets to Data Day Seattle, a Lynda.com online learning subscription and other prizes, participants will explore careers in technology and hear from TUNE leaders including Eve Rallo, Director of UX; Niek Sanders, Chief Technology Officer; and Heather Wade, Software Development Manager.

This event will take place at 90 Blanchard St., formerly Belltown Billiards that is now the company’s dining and event space next to the TUNE headquarters. All meals and snacks will be provided by TUNE chefs, and are complimentary for participants.

Participants must be 18 years or older, enrolled in the 2016/2017 academic year and have declared a major or minor in computer science, software or computer engineering, UI/UX, human-centered design and engineering, or information technology. Official rules and evaluation criteria will be announced at the start of the event, and participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm, vote on project ideas, split into teams and work together building a final product for judges to examine.

Like this article? Sign up for our blog digest emails.