Courtesy of Morris College
Three Morris College Cybersecurity majors and three faculty member trekked their way on November 4, 2022 to Denmark Technical College in Denmark, South Carolina to participate in an all-State HBCU Hackathon Competition, also known as Hack’22@Schack. Seven HBCU Colleges and Universities and two Technical Colleges participated.
The Morris College Cybersecurity majors who participated in the competition were: Javier King (senior, Captain), Rebekah Grissett (junior), and Arthur Nealy (freshman). They were accompanied by Dr. Radman Ali, Dr. Dorothy Bishoff and Ms. Terri Kenely.
The event was sponsored by the Advanced Technology International (ATI), with financial support from several South Carolina Businesses, Industries and Corporations.
The Competition began at 10 AM with the National Anthem, the African American Anthem and words of devotion. The Mohawk Man (Matt Denny) MCed the event, and Michael Hoyt, the Chairman of the Hackathon, provided needed technical support. Ms. Stacey Lindbergh of ATI was the dynamo behind the event.
Dr. Frank Abagnale, the keynote speaker, stirred the audience with his deep knowledge of Cyberspace, the social media and the dangers they portend to their users. His latest book is titled “Scam Me if You Can”. It is a take on his
famous book “Catch Me if You Can” that was turned to a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Once the hacking process has begun, it continued non-stop until 3 PM. The competition was slow at first, but became a nail-biting situation in the last 10 minutes. With significant assistance from Michael Hoyt and his team of technical assistants, Morris College Hornet Team gained experience and confidence, and began to challenge the leading team from Trident Technical College, who gained the first spot and relentlessly defended it until the end. At the two-minute warning, the Morris College Hornet Team was at a striking distance (by 3 points) from the first place, but remained at the second place spot until the whistle blew indicating the end of the competition. Dr. Bishoff, Ms. Kenely and Dr. Ali were the cheer leaders for our Team. We hollered, we screamed and we goaded the Hornets. Time of presenting the awards finally arrived: TTC first place, Morris Hornets second place. Members of the TTC Team each received $500 and MC Hornets Team members received $250 each.
At the end, the Hornet Team and its Cheerleaders headed home to well-deserved and satisfying dinner at the Outback Restaurant!!
