Fourth Estate/ Mary Demarco
New tech student organization at Mason has a successful first year
BY MARY DEMARCO, STAFF WRITER
“When I was a freshman, I really wanted to get involved with some cool [computer engineering] projects with people. There [were] some clubs out there, but I [felt] like they’re not really accessible, or they’re not real for me,” President of Tech4Good Arman Mahjoor said.
Sophomore Arman Mahjoor wanted to get involved with computer engineering projects when he first arrived at Mason. So, he founded and became the president of his own club, Tech4Good (T4G) during his freshman year. Two semesters later, the club gained over 130 members.
T4G uses technology to address issues ranging from sustainability and healthcare to social change and equity. It provides Mason students the opportunity to grow in their craft while also helping their surroundings.
Mahjoor managed to create and expand on a collaborative group that focuses on computer-based building projects. While there are many different tech clubs at Mason, Mahjoor noticed that most were career-oriented instead of skill-oriented.
“It’s all about being able to have a supportive space, to just work on the project, and also collaborate with other students there and get mentoring,” Mahjoor said.
From this idea, T4G started hosting many different events and projects such as weekly “Let’s Lunch” meetings, Hackathons and a program called Explore where students are given a space to work and collaborate on projects with other students.
T4G has attended three Hackathons over the last year. “I feel like Hackathons have a stigma that if you’re not a really good coder, you can’t go. But… you’ll see other [T4G] members in Discord really encourage them to come,” Mahjoor said. “It’s really cool to see people just welcome [others] into this space of building projects.”
Outside of Hackathon, Mahjoor has set up “general social events” throughout the year with the goal of the club members connecting and forming friendships.
“That’s been the biggest achievement is the community aspect of it, the cultural community aspect of our club,” Mahjoor said.
I set myself the goal of meeting people and making friends,” Junming Chen, PhD student said. “I enjoyed it immensely and was glad to see others share my feelings.”
T4G partnered with a local nonprofit, Communitech. Every other Friday, T4G members meet with two members from Communitech to refurbish hardware and reduce e-waste which is then donated to those in need.
T4G has also partnered with Maintain Mason to reduce waste. In the last year, T4G members have already picked up 180 pounds of trash, according to Mahjoor. There is so much going for this club, and they are just beginning.
“There’s definitely a community of leaders in our club that’s able to support what we’re doing,” Mahjoor said. “But I’m hoping that next semester, some of the members in the program will be inspired to take on that leadership there.”
For those interested in connecting with T4G, visit the club’s Mason 360.
