Yuri G. Blaise
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
My specialty is web development, but I am at best an amateur when it comes to programming. To me programming is just a tool I use to bring my ideas to life. My strength is innovating. I like to learn about disciplines that are outside my field, because I feel that innovation is the connection between two unrelated things.
2. What’s your educational background?
I am a currently an upcoming sophomore at the University of Florida and I am part of the Innovation Academy’s Inaugural class. I am majoring in industrial and systems engineering with a minor in innovation.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
Overall I expect a large growth in the amount of knowledge, skills and networks I have.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I’m most looking forward to the change and growth in the cadets over this short span of time. I also can’t wait to see the products that come out of HackerHouse.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
The project I’ve been working on for the last 3 months is Everybuddy, which is a group of websites that help college students find real life buddies. We currently help students find gym, study and cooking buddies but plan to add more buddies in the future. The first website we’ve launched is for UF and is called gatorbuddy.net . We also use our matching system to make selling and buying textbooks, property and football tickets a much faster experience.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
I was born and raised in Davie, Fla., but my parents are from Haiti.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
My favorite Star Trek character is Nyota Uhura
Rohit Kalaskar
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
I am a graduate student at UF pursuing mechanical engineering and my area of interest is robotics.
2. What’s your educational background?
I completed my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT H).
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
At HackerHouse, I think I’ll learn how to convert a project into a startup and meet motivated and intelligent people.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I’m looking forward to having a physical working prototype at the end of this semester.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
In my undergraduate I worked on some projects in robotics, such as a bipedal robot and a system that stabilizes the turret on a tank.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
Maharashtra State, India
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
Spock
Bhimender Arora
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
I like to work on both mobile and desktop environments. My strength lies in abstracting software and systems. This allows me to look at the bigger picture, conceptualize new features and improve scalability.
2. What’s your educational background?
I did my B.S. in electronics and communication engineering and am currently pursuing a M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Florida.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
Apart from a product prototype and my own startup, I am looking forward to a great learning experience from some of the best minds in the field. For me this is a unique opportunity to do what I am really passionate about.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I am looking forward to interacting with all the mentors and having multitudes of crunch times!
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
I am currently working on a smart feed reader for Android. The app aims to identify the best blog posts for the user based on his preferences.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
India.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
I am more into war movies so I haven’t seen Star Trek yet.
Camille Mekwinski 
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
Thinking green and visual design.
2. What’s your educational background?
I study Environmental Engineering.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
I’ll find a way to get paid for doing what I want.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I hope to figure out a way to save the human race from eminent destruction and to learn some programming and entrepreneurship.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
Feeding myself. It’s a full-time job.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
Plutopia: every object, being and action is a closed loop that sustains itself using its own waste.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
Yoda is a chill dude.
Pieter Gorsira
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
My specialty is web development. I love making web apps.
2. What’s your educational background?
I’m a fifth-year senior working towards getting my undergrad degree at UF in computer science.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
Access to smart people and great resources. Also, I can’t wait to be surrounded by other motivated engineers. I hope I can absorb some of their energy.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I think an opportunity like this has the potential to be explosive. If I take advantage of this as much as possible, I might find myself in a totally different place by the end of it. That’s the most exciting aspect for me.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
I have a few web apps under my name, but nothing compared to what I intend to work on at HackerHouse. I’m looking at doing something with audio processing similar to YouTube’s Content ID system. The project will become more specific as I check into its feasibility more.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
Beautiful St. Pete, FL.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
I haven’t really watched much Star Trek, but from my limited knowledge of the show I’d have to say Spock. The guy spits truth.
Clifford D. Steele
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker,but what’s your strength?
I would say it is being able to apply most of my learning to real life situations. I have a background in mechanics. I worked for over ten years restoring building and designing muscle cars.
2. What’s your educational background?
I am a senior at Embry-Riddle University studying aerospace engineering with a focus in aeronautics.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
After spending a few days with these people, I honestly don’t think there is anything that couldn’t be obtained through this opportunity.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
To get more hands on experience with what I have learned the past few years. Since I started working on my B.S. degree, I haven’t had the free time to work with my cars or other projects that allow me the freedom of design. This project will bring almost unlimited resources and tools needed to get more in-depth ideas started.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
Too many to list them all. Right now I have a car that only a father could love, but unfortunately school and lack of sleep have cut into me finishing it. I’m also working on a few skydiving projects with Fluid Wings, a company I intern with.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
I was born in Walla Walla, Wash., but was raised for the most of my life in Jacksonville, Fla.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
I would have to say Spock because he can make decisions mostly off of logic.
Kristin Antoon
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
My strength is programming. I’m really interested in applications and software development.
2. What’s your educational background?
I’m a computer science major at UF, graduating at the end of the fall semester.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
I think the most important thing I’ll get from Hacker House is the knowledge from all the successful mentors who have been in our spots at one point.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I’m looking forward to learning and coming up with a project that will blow everyone’s mind!
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
I worked on a really cool project for my software engineering class. My group and I developed an Android application called Beanstalk that allows you to transfer files between your cloud services and your phone.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
Cocoa, Fla.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
I don’t know too much about Star Trek. I’m definitely a Star Wars girl though.
Eliecer Andres Trillos
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
My specialty is strategic planning. I am a hustler, which means that I work hard and find different ways to achieve my goals. From prototyping, contacting investors and reaching hundreds of blogs, I do what needs to be done to move a startup forward.
2. What’s your educational background?
I have a B.S. cum laude in international business from Utah Valley University and I am now pursuing a M.S. in information systems and operations management at UF.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
I will learn more technology concepts, which will be useful for any startup. Also meeting successful entrepreneurs and talking with mentors frequently will help me to view ideas from a different perspective and take them to the next level.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
My goal is to learn as much as I can from other cadets, mentors and everyone involved with the HackerHouse. I love entrepreneurship, technology and startups so this is definitely an experience that will contribute to my future. The main objective is to create a product that solves a real need of people around the world.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
I have been working on a language platform for language learners. Basically if you are an English native speaker and want to learn Spanish, we will connect you with a native Spanish speaker who is learning English so you can practice with each other in real time.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
I am from the “beautiful city” or “city of parks.” I am from a city where soups and fruits are great and people are happy and dance “vallenato”. Some people eat ants (culonas) and others like me love guava snacks. I am from a city where people work hard and never give up. I am from Bucaramanga, Colombia.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
Non-applicable
Jeremy Baker
1. What is your area of specialty, specifically? I know you’re a hacker, but what’s your strength?
Specifically concerning what I’ll be working on at HackerHouse, I’ve already seen part of the software development process in action from previous internships.
2. What’s your educational background?
I’m currently working on a bachelor’s degree in computer software engineering and a math minor. Projected graduation is May 2015.
3. What do you think you’ll get from being involved in HackerHouse?
I have a feeling I’ll learn a lot about starting and maintaining general business endeavors, such as creating and maintaining mobile apps.
4. What are you most looking forward to by being involved in this project?
I’m very excited to design an app that I’ve wanted to develop and to understand the process of software development.
5. Do you have any projects that you’re already working on or have worked on in the past?
Other than the app I mentioned, I’ve always been involved in some sort of side project. I love tinkering and designing various things like NERF guns.
6. Where are you from? Besides Earth…
I was born in Melbourne, FL and moved to Tampa, FL around 3rd grade.
7. Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
Patrick Stewart