Summary

For as far as I can remember, I’ve been involved in various causes and extracurricular activities. I care deeply about giving back to my community, society and the Earth. This page demonstrates my commitment to contributing to my community.

Period

2007 – Present

Portfolio pieces

Portfolio piece 10

Table of contents

• Summary
• Period
• Portfolio pieces
• Table of contents
• Portfolio piece 10 – HackConcordia & ConUHacks 2016
• Summary
• Achievements & Responsibilities
• Community service, involvement & donations
• Involvement in High School and CEGEP
• Involvement post Concordia
• Donations
• Why is this important for my candidacy?
• 💌 Acknowledgements

Summary

I co-founded HackConcordia, Concordia University’s hackathon student initiative, and co-organized ConUHacks 1, Concordia’s first hackathon.

As an undergraduate student in Software Engineering (2013 - 2017) at Concordia, I was enamored with the concept of hackathons – the chance to travel to other universities, compete and network with your peers from all over the world, meet employers, write cool code, and win cool prizes. This led me to join HackConcordia with the mission to make Concordia shine on the hackathon scene nationally and internationally, and to bring this exciting experience and opportunity to my fellow Concordia students.

N.B.: Credits to asset and document designs belong to Keli Chiu

Photo of the HackConcordia team (from left): Philippe Hebert, VP of sponsorships; Philippe Miriello, VP internal; Keli Chiu, VP of design; Nima Jalalvandi, VP external; Kim Noel, VP of communications; Kim Fuller, president of the Concordia University Alumni Association; Corey James Lee, VP of logistics; Buruç Asrin, president; Tyler Argo, VP of technology; and Mather Warsame, VP of operations. (Missing: Jonathan Brunette, development team lead at Morgan Stanley.) | Photo credit: Christian Atanga

Achievements & Responsibilities

In 2016, my colleagues and I organized ConUHacks, a 24-hour hackathon bringing together hacking excellence from five continents to the John Molson School of Business building. ConUHacks 2016 was an astounding success with 389 attendees from 29 universities, over 90 sponsor representatives coming from 20 companies, $20,000 worth of prizes, and over 60 project submissions. Overall, ConUHacks 2016 raised $56,000 worth of sponsorship. Several people from various universities cited our hackathon as the best hackathon they attended.

As Vice President of Sponsorship and Finances, I: - Reached out to sponsors via cold email, meetups, and by contacting previous employers, and raised sponsorship money ($35,000 raised 100% on my own, $21,000 raised through the network of our co-founders); - Helped design and organize the event: I helped organize the physical layout of the event in the venue, the schedule, procure the necessary equipment and food; - I acted as the co-project manager with Nima Jalalvandi (VP External) & Philippe Miriello (VP Internal) - Ensured a seamless and professional experience for all of our sponsors, helping them organize their material, prizes, APIs, and workshops; - Managed HackConcordia’s treasury and expenses, and acted as bridge with Concordia’s Engineering & Computer Science Association (ECA) to obtain a bank account, expend/repay expenses, obtain venue-access privileges, and more.

Asset: ConUHacks 2016’s Hacker Booklet. Handout given to participants ahead of the event

Community service, involvement & donations

The following section provides additional details about my involvement in my community through action and donations to further support my commitment to meaningful impact on my community and society.

Involvement in High School and CEGEP

Here’s a detailed breakdown of my involvement in HS and CEGEP:

• Did >100 hours of community service in high school. My community service included: helping the elderly in a nursing home, leading environmental initiatives at school, sorting goods and donations at the Christmas guignolée, and teaching martial arts to children
• In 2010, I was part of a youth summit on climate changes and wrote a speech about taking action in face of the urgency of the climate situation. I presented my speech in front of 200 attendees including political leaders of Canada
• In 2014, I helped organize the political campaign of a provincial party in the electoral district of Borduas (Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Beloeil, McMasterville); I prepared the prospectuses, branding and banners, organized fundraising events, and did door-to-door solicitation
• Between 2012 and 2016 participated in >10 non-violent mass protests for various causes including environment and social justice
• In CEGEP, I was vice president of the environment club, and president/founder of the martial arts club

Involvement post Concordia

Post-university, my focus has been exclusively on our business.

I found my business to be the most effective method to make an impact on my community by improving patient care and helping dental professionals and their team provide better service through better management and improved operations. Our work has influenced the care of over 50,000 patients across the province of Quebec. See the Portfolio: Entrepreneurship page for more details.

Donations

Altruism, compassion, empathy and individual sovereignty have always been part of my core values. As a Caucasian cisgender male in a Western society I acknowledge my privilege and I understand that this privilege provides me with the ability to help those that are underprivileged. As such, over the years I have given to various charities:

• Between 2013 and 2016 I donated to the Canadian Red Cross & Equiterre
• Between 2013 and 2016 I donated to a socialist provincial party
• Since 2016 I sponsored a child in Nepal (Akaash) and donated to advance children’s rights and gender equality worldwide through the charity Plan International Canada
• Since 2024, I’ve been donating to the CNIB Foundation (Canadian National Institute for the Blind), a non-profit organization that provides resources, advocacy, and programs to help Canadian citizens with vision loss lead independent and fulfilling lives.

• Commitment to Meaningful Impact: I care deeply about giving back to society and the Earth. I want to use my skills to create positive change. Whether through organizing events that empower students, contributing to environmental and political initiatives, or supporting humanitarian causes, I am driven by a desire to build a more ethical, inclusive, and thoughtful world. This mindset aligns with the program’s focus on socially conscious artistic and technological practices
• Public Engagement & Communication: From writing a speech on the urgency of action to curb climate change at a youth summit on climate change to facilitating sponsorship negotiations, I have developed strong communication and public engagement skills that will help me collaborate with faculty and peers while contributing to creative and community-driven projects

• Strong Interdisciplinary Team Player: Working with sponsors, developers, designers, and institutions taught me how to bridge perspectives, a skill I can bring to an environment where artists, designers, and technologists collaborate to create meaningful work
• Project Execution & Organizational Skills: Structuring and completing complex creative projects comes with many challenges. My experience managing events, finances, and sponsorships equips me to contribute practical project management insights to help peers bring their artistic visions to life.

💌 Acknowledgements

HackConcordia and ConUHacks 2016 would not have been possible without the contribution of the whole team: Philippe Miriello, VP internal; Keli Chiu, VP of design; Nima Jalalvandi, VP external; Kim Noel, VP of communications; Kim Fuller, president of the Concordia University Alumni Association; Corey James Lee, VP of logistics; Buruç Asrin, president; Tyler Argo, VP of technology; and Mather Warsame, VP of operations.