What’s it like being a part of the HackIllinois team?
“HackIllinois gave me such a supportive community when I still lacked confidence in my skills and was unsure about what I wanted to do in the future. I received a lot of beneficial mentorship from the design team and was constantly inspired by both my co-leads and teammates—I wouldn't be where I am today without them. Everyone in this organization is incredibly passionate and innovative, and I will never forget how rewarding it felt to see all of our hard work pay off during the event weekend. I am so grateful I was able to return to Hack as a design team co-lead so I could continue to spread the encouragement and motivation I received from this organization to others.”- Rachel Madamba, Design 2025-26
“I joined HackIllinois as a freshman, and it quickly became one of the most defining parts of my college experience. Through it I found close friends, learned skills I never expected to pick up, and pushed myself further than I thought I could go. I'll forever be grateful for the community it gave me, and I can't recommend getting involved enough <3”- Sada Challa, Co-Director 2025-26
“Outreach at HackIllinois (and Hack in general) is definitely one of the most organized and ambitious RSOs at UIUC. It is always great to hop on calls and reach out to various companies to get them interested in the biggest student-run hackathon in the Midwest, which not only brings exposure to us, but to all UIUC students looking for a place in the industry. On top of being a very social RSO, gaining the corporate connection experience on the Outreach team gives me skills that help me in my full time career, whether it’s for communication, organization, or planning.”- Bill Zhang, Outreach 2025-26
“Being on the HackIllinois Staff is one of the highlights of my college experience. I’ve met some amazing people on the team and had so much fun putting together events that attendees would love and remember. For HackAstra, my team and I created guides, built events, and coordinated with corporate sponsors to maximize both fun and building time for attendees. One of the most important things about being Hack Staff is that you don’t have to be a CS major to be heard and make an impact. The Staff has a range of academic backgrounds, which is one of the things that makes HackIllinois so successful. Shoutout Eric, Mini, Ethan, Anushree, and Benji for being the best Events Team ever!”- Zoeya Khan, Experience 2025-26
“Being on the mobile app team at hack was great because I got to build features that hundreds of attendees actually used, and I learned a ton from the people around me. The team always encouraged trying new ideas, even the weird ones, and there was never a bad time to pitch something ambitious. The Wednesday meetings were a highlight too. We’d start with a social activity, then get to work, and somehow both halves felt equally worth showing up for.”- Megh Patel, Systems 2024-25
“HackIllinois gave me the opportunity to meet the best people at UIUC and to feel truly welcomed on campus. The most beautiful part is seeing what can be accomplished when the team is full of people that are driven by passion and a desire to help others :)”- Nancy Zhang, Co-Director 2024-25
“The people at hack are all amazing, and I'm incredibly grateful that I got to be part of the team for two years. Working on the systems team developing APIs taught me so much technically, and I received great mentorship during my time there. Beyond the technical skills, I grew socially—I'll never forget the Wednesday hack meetings, which always began with a fun social activity before diving into work. It was amazing to see everyone's hard work culminate in creating a memorable hackathon experience for hundreds of attendees.”- Alex Yang, Systems 2024-25