Hacking a Virtual Experience
Good Morning! Welcome to the Rangr Outpost, where we will highlight amazing stories, share relevant tips/ tricks and news of the week
Hello there 👋
Welcome Back!
The Rangr team’s outpost has been on hiatus for a couple of months as we focused on building a 2.0 version of our product that will be launching very soon! The Rangr Outpost community will be the first to know the moment the alpha version is ready for use! In the meantime, enjoy our weekly newsletter and podcast that are back with a vengeance!
Rangr Highlight 🙌
I see sophomores and freshmen with visions for Dandyhacks and I’ll be wow I wished I thought about that… We would come back as old ladies and ask how is DandyHacks - Anna Zimmerman
Introducing the DandyHacks Team, comprised of Tony Lai, Anna Zimmerman, Ethan Yang, and Carolina Lion He. This is our first time interviewing a group instead of an individual, so we will be different!
DandyHacks 2020: a virtual hackathon experience created by the students of Rochester University This will be the 8th year as the University of Rochester's hackathon, and our 1st as a virtual one! Being a fully student-led organization at a tier 1 research university, we try to embody our school's values as we seek to encourage participants to question the world and learn more.
Anna is a senior studying computer science at the University of Rochester, and the co-head of Logistics for DandyHacks 2020. Her favorite memory at Rochester University was during her Freshman year!
It was heavily snowing on a Friday night and my friends decided to build an igloo outside our dorm. We were out until at least 3 am but we actually did it. The next day people posted pics of it in Facebook groups and everyone thought it was pretty cool. It remained functional for about a week before it collapsed. - Anna
Carolina is a senior majoring in Digital Media Studies at the University of Rochester. She is the director of DandyHacks 2020.
I can't believe I am graduating soon! And also I passed my driving test the week before DandyHacks 2020 and I am pretty impressed with myself. Although I do have to mention that I am aware that this is just the beginning because driving is a big responsibility! - Carolina
Ethan is a Computer Science undergraduate, looking to broaden his horizons! His favorite story during his current journey was when he got to meet different people.
The people I meet are my favorite part: the creative types who spend hours on their art, the technical geniuses who are able to grind their way through any problem, and the social communicators who lead a team effectively. Honestly, if it wasn't for the awesome people I've met already, and hope to meet in the future, this journey would not have lasted this long. - Ethan
Tony Lai is a brilliant individual who is not afraid to speak his mind. He is a Luddite and loves learning about whatever he can get his hands on, except physics. Currently, he is doing research for a URMC Ph.D. student.
I'm an international student who hails from Hong Kong. Ask me about my take on American politics, and how we should deal with the new world order. - Tony
Check out the podcast below!
4 Lessons by the Dandy Hacks Team📚
Don’t focus too much on the Academics - Anna
Do actually get the degree ( possibly ), but focus on the things that you are passionate about. I have sacrificed some of my academics for DandyHacks because it such a rewarding experience, and have absolutely no regrets about it.
Learning when to step back - Ethan
I am a strong advocate for delegation!
Remember you are only one person, and you eventually have to delegate tasks and responsibilities so that you are productive.
Knowing when to be transparent and vulnerable - Tony
Especially around your teammates, DandyHacks gave me opportunities to practice communication especially when I couldn’t deliver on things
I have gone radio silent because I felt bad that I couldn’t accomplish tasks and that affected the team.
If your team doesn’t know the struggles, they cannot help you overcome the struggles.
Know when to Pivot -Carolina
Change is not always bad
Even when you feel like you don’t have an idea of what’s happening as long as you don’t bury your needs you should be able to stand back up
Rangr Bulletin 📌
Rangr has been going through a massive overhaul on the backend as we prepare for a rollout of the 2.0 version of the product by the end of March. We have focused on smaller customer segments, really dove down into the details, and refused to ship broken parts.
Schedule
Every Wednesday: Rangr Podcast Release
Every Thursday: Rangr Outpost Newsletter