As the Ivey AEO and HBA applications pose a question on virtues and character, I sat down with Michelle Chen, an ‘HBA3’ (HBA & Computer Science Combined Degree) student and one of the pioneers behind one of Canada’s largest all-female hackathons: SheHacks.
SheHacks is held annually at Western, attracting students every year from all across Canada! SheHacks not only helps women develop technical skills, but also prepares them to thrive in the technology industry, regardless of their background, major, or experience.
Being a part of the team this year, and seeing what an immense success it was, I was intrigued to hear how this event came about.
Hi Michelle! Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
Because I’m a very curious person, I had difficulty figuring out what I wanted to pursue in university. I decided initially on “Politics, Philosophy and Economics” (PPE), but after taking Computer Science electives, I realized that I was a lot more interested in technology, so I switched my program to Computer Science and decided to pursue a ‘dual degree’ with Ivey! I became the President of the Women in Technology Society (WITS) in my second year, and throughout the summers, I've taken on several roles in tech. After Ivey, I'll be working as a digital analyst at a management consulting firm.
Cool! Can you tell me a bit more about why you decided to start SheHacks?
After working in tech over the summer, I found myself being the only girl in meetings, a lot. Naturally, many women are intimidated to enter tech because it’s been seen as a "boys’ club".
In second year, as the Co-Presidents of WITS, we had the idea to start an event to address this. SheHacks I was pretty small; we had only about $1,000 in funding and 60 people showed up. However, once I saw the passion of each participant and the quality of the projects, I knew that we were working with something that had huge potential!
In my HBA1 year, we grew the team and scaled the event to over 300 participants and $15,000 in sponsorship. I owe it to my Co-President, Joy Ling (HBA2020), and our WITS team, who believed strongly in the mission and did an incredible job of marketing!
SheHacks III: Hackers getting ready to demo their projects to judges and participants.
How has running SheHacks helped you develop courage?
I remember in my second year when we started to promote SheHacks on Facebook, we received a lot of backlash from people who claimed we were misrepresenting the industry. Honestly, it was quite scary to represent girls in a male-dominated industry when people were pushing back and saying that what we were doing was wrong. It took a lot of courage to keep SheHacks moving forward, but I never doubted our mission!
SheHacks II: Michelle Chen and Joy Ling talking about SheHacks for the annual promotion video.
How have you seen your character develop over your years at Ivey?
Ivey has definitely made me a lot more confident. It gave me the opportunity to find what I’m passionate about and the chance to build a community of like-minded people. Ivey also instilled humility because I was surrounded by smart and successful people. In some way, it levels the playing field for everyone from the standpoint of education, so you get your chance to stand out with the passions you pursue. Ivey helped me to establish a foundation of character with integrity, accountability, and humanity, which opens many doors to fully explore my potential. Although Ivey is amazing, it’s what you do with your time outside of class that also counts and I’d suggest anyone get involved with causes that they’re passionate about!
Do you have any other tips for incoming AEO/HBA students to develop drive or courage to make the most of their time at Western?
I think a lot of people get caught up in the thought process of “I need to get X job and get Y grades”. Obviously, grades and jobs are important, but they shouldn’t define you, because that limits your ability to discover who you really are. You want to find something you’re passionate about, so don’t abandon your search for that in exchange for an accolade that others think you should get.
It takes a lot of courage for AEOs and HBAs to keep the fire alive for their passions amidst distraction. Don’t lose yourself searching for money and success, be humble, get involved in something that connects you to humanitarian problems – be driven by that. Leverage the education you get at Ivey to make an impact! Keeping yourself accountable to standing up for your passions will lead you to success, even if you don’t follow a ‘formulated path’. There is no one-size-fits-all in life, so use courage, drive, and accountability to carve your own path.
SheHacks IV: Some of the executive team members after this year’s event.
Thank you for the great advice, Michelle! It’s amazing to hear about how you took a widespread issue in the tech industry and addressed it with such great impact in your community. Passion drives courage, integrity, and accountability – and how you’ve persevered with SheHacks shows just that. Wishing you all the best!