Programming Students Earn Second Place in So Cal Regional International Collegiate Programming Contest - Crafton Hills College

Publish Date: Nov. 16, 2024

Programming Students at So Cal Regional Programming Contest

On Saturday, November 16, Professor of Computer Science Sandra Ruiz and her co-coach Daniel Bickel II (Computer Science Supplemental Instruction Leader) accompanied fifteen Crafton Hills College students to the Southern California Regional International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) for colleges and universities. 

The students performed admirably in a field of 88 teams from both two-year colleges and universities. Crafton Hills College was one of only two community colleges whose student participants successfully completed three programming problems in the allotted time. The highest ranking for a community college was 32nd; the CHC team “Crafton Hills College Parus Major” ranked 34th, finishing second among two-year the region’s community colleges.

This was the second time CHC has participated in this event, which makes their high scores even more impressive. Coach and Professor of Computer Science Sandra Ruiz exclaimed, “It was a long day but well worth it. Students were excited to see what they could accomplish and are looking forward to participating next year!” 

It was a long day for CHC participants and their coaches, with 12 hours of activities. They arrived at 8:00 am for registration. After registration, they had a hosted breakfast and attended an orientation followed by a rehearsal session. At 11:50 am they had lunch and then attended a Q&A session. The competition itself began at 1:30 pm and ended at 6:30 pm. After the competition ended, Roadrunners dined on pizza.

Asked what value this experience had for student participants, Prof. Ruiz said, 

  • “it's challenging for students
  • it promotes teamwork and problem-solving skills
  • Crafton Hills College students get to meet students from other schools (potential future colleagues and competitors)
  • Students get to see and work in other computing environments
  • It will look good on student's resume
  • it will be a great topic of discussion during a job interview
  • it's a lot of fun!”
     

The fifteen CHC participants were divided into five teams, each with three student participants:

Team CHC Penguin

  • Diana Bautista
  • MacKenzie Johnson
  • Terion Rosado

Team  CHC CyberCrows

  • Jazmin Gutierrez
  • Stephen Kouch
  • Marsekal Parhusip

Team CHC Parus Major

  • Alexander Morgan
  • Henry Fuller
  • Jingfu Peng

Team CHC Magpies

  • Cora Maxwell
  • Noah Pradzinski
  • Alisa Perales

Team CHC Phoenix

  • Jamal Berti
  • Kenui Kalanui
  • Jorge Trujillo