You may have helped me collect some life hacks, for which I am endlessly grateful, but today, I want to talk about Hackathon. For the uninitiated, Hackathon, which runs parallel to Dance Marathon, is also a 24-hour public service marathon. Instead of fundraising for international health organizations and dancing for the duration, though, Hackathon is about software development for nonprofits. The hackers, as they are affectionately called, work on projects that vary from designing iPhone applications to engineering databases for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

My computer skills are a far cry from hacker-worthy, but I gleefully attend every year. I lend whatever graphic design skills I have and occasionally attempt to remember and relearn how to make a website. I like to feel like I am helpful and making a difference, but really, I just love Hackathon.  I love the giddy feeling at the beginning when students plan their projects, and I love the tired support and quiet determination toward the later hours. I love sitting in a room with slightly more computers than people and a terrifying amount of unhealthy snacks and caffeinated beverages. I love being surrounded by incredibly intelligent, passionate, amazing people who are actually solving problems with their sweet skill set. It is actually difficult for me to express how much I love it; my roommate and I have been heavily recruiting, and every time we convince someone else, our apartment echoes with triumphant yells.

So, here is my proposition. Take a look at the Hackathon website and maybe read about the projects this year. If any of them sound interesting to you, consider signing up. It’s 24 hours with incredible people doing incredible things, and it’s a ton of fun. Hope to see you there!