IT students put their skills to work at DC’s IT Student Expo and Hack-a-Thon

At Durham College (DC), technology students put their classroom knowledge into practice through experiences that align learning with industry demands. The DC IT Student Expo and DC Hack-a-Thon are annual events that connect students with professionals, community partners, and real-world challenges, helping them build career-ready skills for the future of technology.

Together, the events showcase the range of expertise developed across DC’s IT programs, from programming and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity, cloud technologies, data, and systems.

Bringing classroom projects to an industry audience

At the DC IT Student Expo, students present their work in a professional exposition environment, challenging them to explain their ideas, answer questions, work with teammates, and communicate with audiences beyond the classroom. Projects showcase a range of technologies, including cloud and infrastructure solutions, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, programming, automation, and monitoring.

The event also features industry speakers and interdisciplinary collaboration. In spring 2026, design thinker, entrepreneur, and innovation leader Colin Dhillon delivered the keynote, while Event Planning students supported the planning and execution of the Expo.

Student achievements are also recognized through Best-in-Class awards by program and Best-in-Show overall, adding a friendly competitive element.

Building solutions in 24 hours

The DC Hack-a-Thon offers a different kind of challenge: a 24-hour build sprint where students work in teams to develop solutions to real-world problems.

Working within a limited timeframe, participants draw on their knowledge of programming, artificial intelligence, data, cybersecurity, and other areas of technology to develop and present their ideas. Industry and community partners add a real-world perspective, helping students understand how technology can be used to address practical challenges, while strengthening their problem-solving, collaboration and communication skills.

While the events offer different experiences, both give students opportunities to move beyond theory, solve problems, and simulate settings that reflect today’s technology industries, so they can enter the workforce career-ready and confident.