By NNPA Newswire/BlackPressUSA
SEATTLE — Registration is now open for Zillow’s second annual HBCU Housing Hackathon for college students attending Traditionally Black Schools and Universities (HBCUs). This system, in collaboration with United Negro School Fund (UNCF) and Amplify 4 Good, helps HBCU college students develop vital tech and enterprise abilities as they compete for practically $90,000 in money and prizes, whereas additionally gaining the chance to interview for paid internships.
Throughout the weeklong Zillow HBCU Housing Hackathon, starting September 9, college students will find out about the actual property {industry}, Zillow choices, housing knowledge, and numerous utility programming interfaces. Then they may develop and pitch tech options to assist shoppers overcome obstacles on their journey to discover a residence. Scholar groups will current their concepts to Zillow and tech-industry leaders, with high groups receiving money and prizes for themselves and their universities.
The primary Zillow HBCU Housing Hackathon, in 2021, drew 150 college students, representing 17 HBCUs. A staff of 4 Morehouse School college students received first place and a $20,000 prize for creating “Reliby,” an app that makes use of machine studying to foretell will increase in hire and utility prices at a selected handle over time, thus giving renters early warning about looming affordability challenges. Zillow additionally donated $25,000 to Morehouse School’s pc science program as a part of the first-place prize.
“The caliber of the tech options that the groups introduced was spectacular. College students leaned on their tutorial careers and life experiences to provide you with some superb concepts. It was nice to be a part of this system, and it made me excited for what’s to return for our {industry} and tech as an entire with these future leaders,” stated David Beitel, Zillow chief expertise officer. “We’re thrilled to have the United Negro School Fund and Amplify 4 Good becoming a member of the occasion as co-hosts for the second 12 months. Mentors from these organizations assist our college students additional develop their abilities by means of workshops, hands-on enrichment, mentorship and teamwork.”
Groups can have as many as 4 members, and though registration is open to HBCU college students in any diploma program, every staff will need to have no less than two members enrolled in pc science, pc engineering or a associated program. College students excited by taking part within the Zillow HBCU Housing Hackathon ought to go to http://www.zillowhbcuhackathon.com to study extra and register.
On the finish of the problem, staff finalists will pitch their options to a panel of judges. The primary-place staff will obtain a $20,000 money award, cut up amongst its members, and Zillow will donate $25,000 to its college’s pc science program. Second- and third-place groups will obtain $12,000 and $6,000 money awards, respectively. College students from the highest three groups additionally will obtain new laptops and textbook present playing cards. All eligible hackathon individuals excited by a task at Zillow may have a possibility to interview for an internship.
“It’s superior to conceptualize a challenge that would assist lots of people and never solely win the hackathon and obtain prizes which might be nice for my staff, but additionally assist earn a donation for our school,” stated Paul Lockett, a member of final 12 months’s profitable staff and a 2022 Morehouse School graduate. “We had a plan, we executed on it and we’re so completely satisfied we had this superb alternative to work and study with Zillow.”
Chad Womack, Ph.D., vp of Nationwide STEM Packages and Initiatives at UNCF, will likely be on the panel of judges for the HBCU Housing Hackathon. Womack additionally co-founded Black Tech Ventures, a enterprise tech agency created to empower African American tech innovators and startup entrepreneurs, with a deal with fostering an entrepreneurial mindset on HBCU campuses.
“The UNCF is proud to be again for a second 12 months, partnering with Zillow on such an impactful program for our college students,” stated Womack. “Our HBCU campus connections enable us to succeed in college students who could not in any other case contemplate such a problem. We’re working to diversify the expertise inside STEM industries, and applications like Zillow’s HBCU Housing Hackathon assist us do exactly that.”
Womack will likely be joined on the judging panel by Zillow and tech-industry leaders, together with Eric Bailey, Zillow vp, Expertise Design; Jennifer Butler, Zillow head of Authorities Relations and Public Affairs; Aldona Clottey, Zillow vp, Company Social Accountability; Tiffany Dockery, Etsy director of Product Administration; Damien Peters, founder, Wealth Noir; and Jonathan Rabb, founder and CEO, Watch The Yard.
Registration for the hackathon closes Sept. 6. To study extra or register, go to http://www.zillowhbcuhackathon.com.
Concerning the United Negro School Fund
The United Negro School Fund (UNCF) is the nation’s largest and best minority schooling group. To serve youth, the neighborhood and the nation, UNCF helps college students’ schooling and growth by means of scholarships and different applications, strengthens its 37 member faculties and universities, and advocates for the significance of minority schooling and school readiness. UNCF establishments and different traditionally black faculties and universities are extremely efficient, awarding 20% of African American baccalaureate levels. UNCF yearly awards $100 million in scholarships and administers greater than 400 applications, together with scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer time enrichment, and curriculum and school growth applications. Right this moment, UNCF helps greater than 60,000 college students at greater than 1,100 faculties and universities throughout the nation. Its brand options the UNCF torch of management in schooling and its well known trademark, “A thoughts is a horrible factor to waste.”® Study extra at UNCF.org, or for steady information and updates, comply with UNCF on Twitter, @UNCF.
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining actual property to make it simpler to unlock life’s subsequent chapter. As essentially the most visited actual property web site in the USA, Zillow® and its associates supply prospects an on-demand expertise for promoting, shopping for, renting or financing with transparency and ease.
Zillow Group’s associates and subsidiaries embody Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow House Loans™, Zillow Closing Companies™, Trulia®, Out East®, ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, dotloop®, StreetEasy® and HotPads®. Zillow House Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).