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by Jerri Whitner, Student Contributor 

Back Row (L-R): Brittney Williams, Dalton McCown (1st Place), Bryce Slone (2nd Place), Dru Walters (3rd Place), Terry Dean Jacobs Front Row (L-R): McCall Davis (2nd Place), Carley Hoskins (2nd Place), Karys Conley (3rd Place), Bryon Jacobs

On September 15th, Alice Lloyd College hosted the first ever Great Caney Hackathon. The student participants were given a problem to solve concerning specific issues concerning health and education in Appalachia. Over a 24 hour period, the students relentlessly worked in groups and individually with professors to generate solutions to the challenge placed before them.

Using available resources, research, personal knowledge, and creativity, each participant designed a plan to address the issue they selected in a fresh way. Allison Holbrook, Director of College Relations and Hackathon Coordinator, commented on the event by saying, “I am so proud of these students! They were given two problems to choose from and 24 hours to come up with a solution. They worked tirelessly and the ideas I heard blew me away. These are the future leaders of our region and they’re going to be great!”  

The students proposed their solutions to a panel of judges who using preselected criteria presented three awards, each included a certificate and monetary award. The winners were: Dalton McCown in first; Bryce Slone, McCall Davis, and Carley Hoskins in second; and Dru Walters and Karys Conley in third.

Alice Lloyd College was founded on and still continues to embody the mission of producing leaders for Appalachia.  It was Mrs. Lloyd who understood that the best solutions to problems facing the Appalachian region must come from within.  ALC would like to give a special thank you to all the community members that helped to make this event a success, including Dr. Steve Herr, Byron Jacobs, Terry Dean Jacobs, Drs. Charles and Kassi Marshall, Dr. Michelle McLeese, Cynthia and George Nichols, Brittney Williams, and Dr. Anthony Yonts.