High School Students Crack the Code at Kettering University’s Inaugural Hackathon

A sign outside of Kettering University that reads, "Welcome Computer Coders!" From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Adriana Lippolis, first-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Adriana Lippolis, first-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Noah Gedraitis, second-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Noah Gedraitis, second-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Isaac Kellog, third-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Isaac Kellog, third-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Pradham Kuchipudi, fourth-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

From left, Dr. Babak Elahi, Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, Pradham Kuchipudi, fourth-place winner and Dr. Michael Farmer, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Kettering University.

A Hartland High School senior took first place in Kettering University’s inaugural Hackathon on Sept. 16.

Adriana Lippolis of Linden took home a Sony PlayStation 5 for winning the “Cracking the College Code” Hackathon. 

During the event, high school juniors and seniors tested their skills and showcased their problem-solving abilities in a series of programming challenges of increasing difficulty. Each problem included advanced data structures. Students used Python or Java to code.

Clarkston High School junior Noah Gedraitis of Clarkston earned second place and took home a Nintendo Switch. Henry Ford II High School junior Isaac Kellog of Macomb and Winston Churchill High School senior Pradham Kuchipudi of Westland earned third and fourth place, respectively. They took home Razer BlackShark Gaming Headsets.

Participants also had the opportunity to tour campus and meet fellow competitors, Kettering students, alumni, faculty and the Esports Director.


For more information about future hackathons, email computerscience_department@hbfnetwork.com. For more information about a degree in Computer Science at Kettering University, click here.