After months of hard work, sponsorships gained, workshops led and a heavy amount of anticipation, Stan State’s first ever Hack-A-Thon took its place in history. 
The event had eight different teams from different schools to meet the task at hand. The task of the event was to create an application to help fix a problem in the community. 
Jose Chavez (senior, Computer Science) was joined by teammates Ismael Figueroa (sophomore, Studio Arts) and Christian Obligar (sophomore, Computer Science) from Merced College. This was Chavez’s second Hack-A-Thon but Figueroa and Obligar’s first. The team joined together and decided on the name “The Uglies.” 
Chavez said that this event has “potential” and is “happy to see it grow from here on out.”
He explained that it is important to have a local event like this so Computer Science majors and hacking enthusiasts can “get experience working on certain programs, developing an application.”
He said, “having it [the Hack-A-Thon] here gives students the ability and comfort to be local as well as like the inspiration to build something that they wouldn’t build outside of class.”
Figueroa said that learning from his friends at Hack Merced earlier this year made him decide to put his skills to the test.
“Competing for this one has been an interesting experience,” Figueroa said.
Obligar focused on the team’s design for their entry. He wanted to make sure that the app looked “user friendly” and “appealing to the eye.”
“The Uglies” developed an Android application that was useful for both consumers and producers. This application allows the two parties to sell and purchase “ugly” fruit. This is fruit that would not be otherwise sold by stores due to various things that may make the fruit unappealing.
“We felt like we were able to reach our goal with our application… We still have work to do,” said Obligar.
At the end of twelve hours, teams were called back to FDC 118 to present the application they created to the three judges. Once the presentations were completed, the three judges stepped away from the room to evaluate who they believed created the best application. 
During this time,  Austin White (junior/English), President of the Computer Science (CS) Club, addressed the teams and sponsors who had come out. White said that the event was “beyond what he had expected.”
He also began to thank everybody who was able to make this event possible, including his club members, sponsors, attendees and especially the Office of Information Technology (OIT), who donated many of the prizes for this event.
White also announced that he and his club are ready to work towards their announced second annual Hack-A-Thon happening in April of 2020.
After White’s speech, the three judges came back and gave White their analysis of who they believed created the best application for this event.
The judges decided that “The Uglies” application stood out from the rest, and the team claimed victory and their prizes. 
The first Stan State Hack-A-Thon on Saturday was a success for the CS Club For any updates on the CS Club’s activities, follow their Instagram page: @csustancsclub