DeerHacks celebrates its fifth anniversary and marks UTM’s largest event this year
A conversation that reaches beyond an insider look and reshapes general understandings of hackathons today.

This year, DeerHacks at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) has much to celebrate. Marking its fifth anniversary, the event drew 300 participants, rigorously selected from an application pool of 600 students across the country. They assembled and crafted not only innovative code but also solutions to real-world problems. 

Hackathons have become increasingly popular over the years, while DeerHacks remains one of Mississauga’s largest hackathons.

In an interview with The Medium, the organizer of DeerHacks, the Mathematical and Computational Sciences Society (MCSS), shared how their 36-hour event inspired a new appreciation for computer science and innovation.  

Photo provided by DeerHacks

Open to both coding experts and appreciators from afar

“What makes DeerHacks a little more special is that we are open to beginners and more advanced participants,” Nair said. “We give you the resources and the knowledge through workshops and resources provided to build something of your own.”

The unifying factor for DeerHacks participants was not familiarity or experience with coding, but rather a desire to make an impact. 

“I remember when we were going through hacker applications, the [number] of people that would say, ‘I want to build a project that has real-world impact,’” DeerHacks Coordinator Farah Baseet shared, “I wanted to see that happen.” She explained that this sentiment also inspired this year’s theme—innovation. 

The theme of innovation also guided DeerHacks’ administration system and mission. This year’s rubric was carefully crafted to reward bold ideas. Organizers hoped this would inspire confidence and entrepreneurship within attendees.

Another amazing feature of DeerHacks is that growth was not accrued alone. The hackathon encourages growth within a supportive, celebratory community. MCSS Vice President Internal, Emily Su, shared that helping others or receiving help, it sparked further inspiration within each individual. 

Aaron Li, a fourth-year DeerHacks mentor, shared his experience in a testimonial, saying, “Mentoring DeerHacks was an experience of a lifetime. Being able to interact with the newer generation really gives me inspiration for the future of this bright school.”

Li’s comments captured the unique journeys organizers experienced in DeerHacks and mirrored many attendees’ individual stories. 

Journey to DeerHacks

MCSS Vice President of Finance, Yashda Gupta, shared that her first year as an executive gave her a “completely new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into making an event like [DeerHacks] happen.” 

Gupta elaborated that DeerHacks pushed her in ways unexpected through a combination of the exciting and light-hearted experiences that it offers. This made her journey extremely special.

She shared that after learning about hackathons, she immediately developed a love for them as a frequent attendee and felt drawn to help organize them. 

She added, “Helping to organize DeerHacks was really special to me. I wanted to implement a lot of new features and activities, and I had the opportunity to do so this year because I had the organizational power.”

Similarly, Baseet shared how MCSS introduced her to DeerHacks. She has since grown through her executive role and accomplished much in establishing protocol. 

Nair’s journey to his role was equally inspiring. After he transitioned to UTM as an international student, he discovered and joined the MCSS in his second year, soon after he experienced his first hackathon. 

“What I really loved about my first hackathon was just being part of a vibrant community,” said Nair. “From then, I always had this thought in my mind, that it would be really cool to try and organize this event on my own.” 

Nair shared that participants’ collective passion motivated him to set a personal goal to run for president of MCSS and to be one of the organizers for DeerHacks.

A “deer” experience for attendees

The weekend that DeerHacks was held was jam-packed with events, workshops, and activities that made a lasting impression on attendees. 

For example, Team Mimecraft, consisting of its team members Legolas Zhang, Carol Wang, Aryan Goyal, and Emma LJE, spoke to this in their testimonial, writing, “DeerHacks was an amazing experience! Between the fun workshops and activities, there was never a dull moment. We even completed our project of building Mimecraft for 3D sculpting. Highly recommend to anyone looking to hack, learn, and connect.”

Not only was DeerHacks meaningful to attendees on a personal level, but it also inspired other hackathon organizers across Ontario campuses. Nair shared that other hackathon organizers asked for advice on managing a hackathon of this scale. 

The team shared that DeerHacks’ venue also held significance to participants, who were elated to see deer on the Maanjiwe Nendamowinan field on opening day. The appearance of UTM’s mascot sparked more joy amongst an already energetic crowd. 

Baseet and Nair said it is not too common to see deer prancing across other campuses. Encouraged by this natural encounter, Deer Hacks, like the deer that appeared, are also excited to continue moving forward in making an impact.

Future aspirations: One prance at a time

Su, the incoming President of the MCSS, described some of the team’s visions and aspirations moving forward.

She shared multiple core goals for the next academic year. MCSS hopes to expand on its supportive nature, while also broadening its reach to those who may not know about MCSS already. 

“The impact that we had this year was very strong. But that was only to those who were already interested.” Su explained, “I want to extend that impact next year and spread it [beyond MCSS members].”

Apart from strengthening hospitality services at the hackathon, Su said, “I just want to continue the momentum we’ve had this year and make sure that there are even better positive reviews next year.”

DeerHacks’ perspective-shifting insight for you

36 hours of pure innovation can feel daunting; however, it is an invaluable opportunity. 

“I thought about what I might want to tell myself when I was a freshman, still very new to hackathons. And I just want to say, don’t be shy and just come as you are,” shared Gupta. “36 hours can be such a beautiful, enriching experience. And you can learn so much.”

Gupta encourages all students to participate, emphasizing that DeerHacks is one of the few opportunities where one can build something, meet people across disciplines and gain real-world experience in a short period of time. 

On the other hand, computer science has been greatly associated with hustle culture, which is no surprise that you might still think that DeerHacks sounds like a hefty amount of work. 

However, Baseet’s powerful reframing of this experience might just be what you need to hear. 

“[Coding] is a very powerful tool by which you can create a positive impact for people, or for self-expression. The projects that you build are always, always better when you have fun with it and when you’re putting your genuine passion into it,” said Baseet. 

Regardless of your past coding experience, DeerHacks is here for you with a warm welcome. Besides, who wouldn’t want to join a hackathon that is sure to leave you with immense inspiration and growth? 

To keep up with DeerHacks future activities and initiatives, their Instagram page can be found at DeerHacks @deerhacks and the MCSS @utmmcss.