09/28/2026
I had such a great Saturday mentoring at the inaugural Animal Welfare Hackathon at UPEI/AVC hosted by the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre.
This past weekend eight teams of veterinary and other UPEI students were tasked to create innovative solutions to major problem areas in the animal welfare sector. From the initial brainstorming, to crafting their idea, pitches to the mentors, building upon their concept and development for their final presentations to the judges, it was a whirlwind of energy and dedication.
Everyone put their best foot forward working hard on their premise and you could see how passionate they are about not only helping animals, but making a difference! The final winning teams earned it, and I hope they consider possibility of bringing these ideas to life in the world.
Helping students, offering feedback and insights on marketing, and evolving an idea into a plausible business concept is something I absolutely love being a part of. Seeing the moment they click in on that next step and how to move forward is a thrill to witness. It was a pleasure to be in the room with all of these bright young minds!
Congratulations to Katy and the entire team behind the launch of this event. It was an honour to be a part of something so innovative and fun.
It was great to see Michelle McAulay at the helm of pulling this event together too. 😊