International Students Win First Prize in Modo Labs' Ideathon™ at FSU

Three FSU students who came to Tallahassee from FSU’s Republic of Panama branch campus won Modo Labs' Ideathon™ at FSU with an app they developed during the competition. The Ideathon™ is a weekend-long competition full of fun and innovation where students take their ideas and build them into an app – no coding skills necessary.

Juan Diego Bernal, a senior double majoring in finance and economics; Payal Rajendra Gentilal, a senior double majoring in actuarial science and management information systems; and Karla C Hernandez, a senior majoring in information communication and technology developed an app called "Noledge" during the competition. Its primary purpose is to allow students and faculty to share skills that are required in the real world but are not necessarily taught inside the classroom.

“Our main goal is to bring together a community of people that are passionate about learning and helping others grow by sharing their knowledge. I am so grateful that I was able to have the opportunity to participate in such a challenging and innovative competition," Gentilal said. "I had an amazing time brainstorming, developing, and presenting with my team, where we had the chance to be as creative as we wanted for a good cause.”

Winning teams from each university will compete to win a $10,000 national prize, awarded at the annual Kurogo Mobile Conference in Cambridge, MA in June.

To learn more about the Ideathon™ at FSU, watch this video.