All-star Student Team to Compete in Black Enterprise Hackathon

Students to Develop an Innovative Solution Using Emerging Tech & Custom Apps

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – An all-star team of Bowie State University computer technology students are representing the Cyber Squad in a national tech innovation challenge from Oct. 9-10, hosted virtually this year by Black Enterprise (BE) magazine and sponsored by American Airlines. Top students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the compete in the tournament-style BE Smart Hackathon, where Bowie State has sent a team since 2017.

The five-person BSU team, coached by Dr. Haydar Teymourlouei from the Department of Technology and Security, will compete for prizes from American Airlines and other leading technology partners against more than 200 students in teams from nearly 30 HBCUs from across the country. The BSU students, who have trained since January, have honed their skills in using security tools, emerging technologies and custom applications.

“Even during this pandemic, we found ways to prepare our students for the competition,” said Dr. Teymourlouei. “Our students are doing great. They have made the necessary preparations for an event like this.”

The BSU team is made up of computer technology majors: junior Elesha Jackson (team captain), along with seniors Chiebuka Ahaghoto, Tiona Brown, Oscar Tejada Cruz and Jarrod Holley. Although it is Jackson’s first hackathon competition, she is confident as the captain in her team’s ability to develop a tech innovation using the skills they learned with the Cyber Squad.

“I’m very excited to present our idea. Working with Dr. Haydar, I’ve definitely learned really good presentation skills, time management and organization, as well as technical skills like how to configure networks and incorporate blockchain and how to come up with an idea using those tools and techniques,” she said. “I feel like when I’m going into the workplace, maybe I’ll have a leg up because I have these skills.”

Each year, the hackathon teams are presented with a new task that remains unknown until the competition’s launch. A panel of judges grade the teams on a number of technical categories, as well as their teamwork and problem-solving ability. The event not only gives students a chance to showcase their skills to recruiters, but it also gives them an opportunity to attend workshops, receive coaching and career advice.

BE Smart Hackathon students experience great success in making the right connections to start their careers. Last year, Alhaji Kanu (’19) landed a full-time job from American Airlines after representing Bowie State on the Cyber Squad team.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.