Norfolk State University students participated in the 10th Annual Black Enterprise Smart HBCU Hackathon, alongside more than 300 HBCU students, to showcase their tech talent. Themed Built Brilliant. Built Different: 10 Years of Elevating Excellence, the event was hosted by American Airlines in Charlotte, N.C., and was the largest student gathering in the event’s history.
The Smart Hackathon assembled 62 teams from 43 schools. Norfolk State had two teams that competed in the hackathon, including Brandon Carr, Denzel Caine, Destiny Hackett, Nia Perez, Kanaya Street, Malcom Warren, Thaddeus White, Wendon Doswell and team captains Genesis Facey and Jaden Johnston. They trained several weeks before the competition with weekly practice sessions that consisted of coding drills, API integration, UX walkthroughs and build sprints.
Dr. Kingsley Nwosu, associate professor in Computer Science, acted as the team's advisor. “It’s an honor to watch students transform classroom skills into real, time-boxed problem solving", he states. “Seeing them collaborate under pressure, balancing design, data, and delivery, reminds me why experiential learning is so powerful. Hackathons compress an entire product lifecycle into days; the growth in confidence and professionalism is unmistakable.”
During the 24-hour competition, sponsors provided technical staff to mentor each team, which was tasked with developing technical solutions to solve real-world challenges. They were judged on application impact, technical complexity and user-friendliness, while also assessing teams on their pitch and presentation skills.
“We’re grateful to Black Enterprise, American Airlines, the mentors, and sponsors for creating an HBCU-centered space where talent is seen and supported,” Dr. Nwosu reflects. “Our students returned energized and better prepared for internships and full-time roles.”