Students put their technology skills to the test during a 24-hour hackathon.
"We were thrilled to welcome Lincoln back for another successful codeLinc hackathon,” said Dr. Naja Mack, assistant professor of Computer Science at Morgan State University. “This impactful event provides a platform for our students to showcase their creativity and develop their technical skill while fostering new relationships with each other and our Lincoln mentors. I’m proud of all our students who worked together to tackle this challenge and am excited to continue our partnership with Lincoln. I know our students are already excited for the next hackathon!”
Lincoln Financial Group returned to Morgan State University (MSU), one of the nation’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to host its second annual codeLinc hackathon with the university. codeLinc at MSU is an iteration of Lincoln’s broader codeLinc hackathon held each fall in Greensboro, N.C., where college students along the East Coast travel to test their technical skills.
During the 24-hour event, 76 student participants had the opportunity to showcase their coding and programming skills, working in teams to solve an IT-focused challenge. Teams were supported by Lincoln’s veteran developers who provided mentorship, technical assistance and encouragement as participants generated ideas, coded and presented their final projects to Lincoln’s judging panel and their peers.
“During codeLinc, students are fully immersed in a hands-on learning experience as they test their IT acumen, collaborate and build relationships with business leaders in the tech space and one another,” said Ken Solon, executive vice president, chief information officer and head of IT, Digital and Enterprise Services, Lincoln Financial Group. “As we continue to expand our partnership with Morgan State through events like this, we have the opportunity to engage with and further strengthen our pipeline of diverse IT talent. The passion, creativity and technical skills showcased during the hackathon reinforces that the future of IT is limitless.”
Students were challenged to build a financial wellness tool targeted toward college-age and early career individuals. The tool was focused on enhancing financial literacy and guiding users as they navigate common financial challenges facing the target demographic, such as building credit, paying down debt and starting their retirement savings.
"We were thrilled to welcome Lincoln back for another successful codeLinc hackathon,” said Dr. Naja Mack, assistant professor of Computer Science at Morgan State University. “This impactful event provides a platform for our students to showcase their creativity and develop their technical skill while fostering new relationships with each other and our Lincoln mentors. I’m proud of all our students who worked together to tackle this challenge and am excited to continue our partnership with Lincoln. I know our students are already excited for the next hackathon!”
codeLinc has been a successful vehicle for recruiting early career talent to Lincoln’s IT organization. More than 400 students have participated across eight events and as a result, more than 30 participants have accepted internships and full-time positions at Lincoln. Lincoln IT is excited for the possibility of welcoming more MSU students to participate in its summer internship program this June.
