Context
During the planning of the Intern Panel Event, uOttaHack was undergoing major restructuring and its future was in jeopardy. In early summer, we had a core team of about 20 students. By September our team was cut in half. See in the summer, I had made a questionable decision of hiring a group of friends. They were very talented and experience in hackathon organizing, but they caused a host of drama, inner circles being formed, and our event almost getting canceled by the school. At the time I thought I failed as a leader for not being able to keep the team united, An there were definily things I learned, took notes about, and could have improved on as a leader, however, honestly speaking we trimmed the fat of the team. I later dound out that this same group of students, create a differnt hacakthon club weeks before any drama . Unforntly, it didnt stoip here, this team conitnue to be nasty by targeting our event, taking our venue date, creating nasty reddit forms, . This being my second year of univesity, I was so astonished at how my peers Whwat I found that when u bring togetehr a team that are passionate about a common, no matter the expericne they have as a team
The Ripple Effect: From Host to Panelist
Fast forward to this year, and the experience came full circle. After a transformative internship at Apple in the San Francisco Bay Area during the summer of 2023, I returned to the Tech Intern Panel. However, this time, my role had evolved from being a host to a panelist. Sharing my journey and experiences with a new batch of eager students was not only fulfilling but also a reflection of how far I had come.