Each year, over 150 New York City youth from programs throughout the five boroughs compete in the premier showcase of digital media and technology projects designed by youth, for the betterment of the world.
To protect our community, Emoti-Con will no longer be held at the New York Public Library on 5/9 this year. The Emoti-Con Steering Committee are putting our heads together at the moment and will update you soon if we will offer a virtual alternative. Check back soon for updates!
Emoti-Con is NYC's biggest annual showcase for young designers, engineers, artists, gamers, programmers, activists and multimedia storytellers who believe in digital innovation as a tool for positive change in the world around them. Emoti-Con is a culminating celebration of the creative work produced all year within the in- and after-school programs of the Hive NYC learning network, and at public schools participating in CS4ALL NYC and other DOE programs.
What's Emoti-Con *usually* like? Watch this video and click the "past events" above to learn about the winners, keynotes and judges for each previous event:
Competing projects are reviewed by judges and peers. Winners could earn one or more digital badges.
Errol King was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. He is a self taught creative technologist, game designer and social entrepreneur. His career started in communications and tech strategy for social justice movements. He later became the Director of Online Organizing & New Media at 1199SEIU, the largest local union in the US. In this role, he used tech to improve the lives of 400,000 low wage healthcare workers across five states.
Inspired by maker culture, he left this work to pursue his passion for education and technology. He co-founded Hidden Level Games, an indie gaming studio focused on transforming players into creators. Over the last two years, he designed and developed a virtual world where students can build and share games via the cloud. He is also the co-author of CodePop, a tweet-sized game programming language. Using this platform he has toured the world teaching design thinking and game programming to youth.
Errol was named a Tech Week Top 100 most influential people in New York for 2014. He is now at Google working on a team focused on cultivating the next generation of awe-inspiring leaders in computer science from Black and Latino communities.
All of Abigail's career changes have been motivated by play - her interest in education, her pivot into playful learning technologies, and even her time at ESPN have been focused on making play accessible, digital, and delightful. Abigail is a playful, pragmatic product manager who strongly believes that products should be enjoyable AND useful, whether your users are toddlers, adults, or learners of any age. She has a Master’s degree in Digital Media Design for Learning from New York University, and served as a Peace Corps education volunteer in West Africa from 2010 to 2012.
Bio Coming Soon.
Andrea Ferrero is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Pockets Change, an education organization that uses hip hop pedagogy to build financial capability with K-12 students, families, and educators. She is also a board member of California Jump$tart Coalition, finding innovative ways to make money more approachable in classrooms. She’s enjoyed over a decade of teaching PreK-12th grade, coaching educators, and designing award winning educational programs and digital products.
Anthony is a full stack developer who’s primary language is React Native and Ruby on Rails. Anthony graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. He currently holds the role of CTO at BuildingBlok. In 2016, Anthony and his co-founder bootstrapped their company EatOkra Inc. Eatokra currently has over 50k downloads. He is a military veteran of 9 years and has served in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006-2007 as an avionics technical repairer. When he’s not developing, Anthony has a passion for photography and other recreational activities.
Ashley is Director of Engineering at Datadog where she runs core product engineering, data viz, and tag search teams. Before Datadog she focused on building fast, scalable data infrastructure at BuzzFeed. Ashley has help build (and rebuild) core systems at many startups in NYC. Prior to working as a software engineer she worked in policy and politics and continues to follow campaigns the way other people follow basketball.
Azfar Rizvi worked at the intersection of narratives, policy, and tech for the past 10 years. Recently led a content project at Google. Currently consulting on an Amazon mini series for its third season.
"BiaSciLab is a 13 year old hacker, maker and international speaker. She spoke on election security at DefCamp in Romania, was the youngest speaker at H.O.P.E. and has spoken multiple times at DEFCON. She received national attention when she hacked the voting system at DEFCON 26, this was recently highlighted at the Congressional Hearing on Election Security. She is also the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Hack, teaching girls the skills of hacking so that they can change the future. She has also started Secure Open Vote and is building an end to end election system."
Brittany is an Admissions Operations Lead at Fullstack Academy and currently works with their web development and cybersecurity programs. Previously, Brittany worked as a teacher in Spain and Italy. She's passionate about empowering the next generation of minds.
Charlie is a Systems Tools engineer at Verizon Wireless. He creates full stack applications for other engineering to track their progress in constructing cell sites and 5G nodes in the New York Metro area. He loves OOP and distributed systems.
Chloe Koo is a multidisciplinary designer who works at IBM Watson as a Visual UX Designer and Founder of HugMatch. As a designer, she aspires to design things that are emotionally rich and grounded in meaning. She loves to come up with designs involving new technologies and innovations.
Christy Hall-Steinhardt is a Project Manager at BrainPOP. Working closely with the GameUp team, Christy actively works to bring even more innovative, engaging, and thoughtful games to the platform. She pushes to see empathy and the creative arts take a stronger role in education, and believes careful consideration for all learners should be at the forefront of game creation. When not at BrainPOP, Christy solves jigsaw puzzles, writes and records music, and spends time with her cat, Stella Sandwich Gibson: Cat Detective.
Danny Jimenez AKA Mr. J is a Library Information Assistant at New York Public Library's Bronx Library Center branch, where he conducts a myriad of programs for teens ages 13-17. He has over a decade of experience in the IT field as a former member of the Department of Education. He served as a School Computer Technology Specialist at Fiorello H. La Guardia Highschool aka The Fame School. In his tenure there he furthered his love of the arts and technology. Through NYPL he seeks to up the literacy of the whole world!
Deren Guler is a technologist, designer, and educator who's work focuses on designing accessible technology solutions and tools. She is the founder of the brand Teknikio, a line of creative electronic parts and kits for future inventors. She is also Adjunct Faculty in the Design and Technology department at Parsons the New School for Design and leads workshops around designing for the future around the world.
Diane Levitt is the Sr. Director of K-12 Education for Cornell Tech, the graduate campus of Cornell University in New York City, partnering with NYC public schools to make computer science teachable. She drives the campus engagement with the local, state and national K-12 computing education community, including the NYC Dept. of Education’s CSforAll initiative and the CSforALL Consortium.
Emily Gregor is an experienced copy editor, content marketer, and branding expert. A pro when it comes to ideation and strategy, she's worked in digital and print publishing, social media marketing, email marketing, video production, event management, and event production. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and helping the next generation of leaders in tech!
Eric J Lewis is the Engineer Of Things at Power Home Remodeling, Hacker, Programmer and Maker. Member of DEFCON 610, TOOOL, and 2600. When he is not breaking things, he likes to teach others programming, fixing, hacking and other useful skills.
Gina is a former special education teacher passionate about engineering education. She has worked with the HIVE NYC community to create learning communities that support innovative learning experiences. Gina also has experience leveraging the design process to engage in Design Based Research at the University of Washington. Currently, Gina works with NYCDOE DIIT as an Ed Tech Implementation Manager with a focus on leveraging technology to get to know each student well.
Holly Tienken is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Design department at Kutztown University. Holly received her BFA from Kutztown University and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. In addition to teaching, she is also an independent designer focused on branding for hospitality and real estate markets. In 2007 she co-founded Bag the Habit, a line of reusable shopping solutions made from 100% eco-textiles and introduce an interactive, educational program WE CREATE THE FUTURE designed to teach positive “reusable” habits to students.
Ilana Weiss is writer and interactive designer with a background in psychology and learning design. She has worked on interactive educational products for both adults and students. She is passionate about using educational media and technology to enhance content knowledge and social-emotional skills.
Ischia Bravo serves as District Manager for Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7). As the only Latina and woman of color serving as District Manager among the 12 Community Boards in the Bronx, one of her main priorities is to ensure that underrepresented and underserved groups in her community are informed of, and have access to, vital resources and services provided by local government and community based organizations. Through her work, in partnership with CB7 leadership, the Board serves as unique vehicle to organize and amplify the voice of community residents to weigh in on important issues impacting their neighborhoods and to ensure that local residents have a seat at the table during these transformative discussions issues including affordable housing, economic development, workforce investment, and City services.
JessyJoGomez, or as the kids call them, Mx.Gomez, is an educator who believes that young people have the power to change the world! They use game design as a tool for social change and encourages everyone to unapologetically be themselves. Jessy Jo graduated from Parsons with a BFA in Design & Technology and is currently enrolled at St. John’s University pursuing their MSEd in Secondary Special Education. They are passionate about creating safe spaces for young people, especially in the context of race, gender, sexual identity, and mental health. Jessy Jo lives in Brooklyn with their 3 cats.
Joey focuses on strengthening his community and making a positive impact on society, especially for our world's most important change-makers: students. His current job working for the Facebook Education Modernization Team gives him the opportunity to support students across the nation through its many programs and initiatives. Joey always encourages others to follow their passion, and he knows that leading by example will build a stronger world.
Jonah Brucker-Cohen. Ph.D., is an award winning researcher, artist, writer, and Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Networked Culture in the department of Journalism and Media Studies at Lehman College, CUNY. He was a designer in residence at the New York hall of Science and two of his artworks are in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. His work has been exhibited at venues such as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, MOMA New York, ICA London, Palais du Tokyo,Tate Modern, Ars Electronica, Whitney Museum of American Art, Transmediale, and others.
Josh Miller works and teaches in the intersection between art, design, and software development. After receiving a MA in Computer Science and an MFA in New Media, Josh taught courses in web & graphic design, video game design, creative coding, UX, and application development. Josh’s true interests lie in the intersection between design, programming and innovative user experiences. This influences not only his teaching, but also his professional practices, where he focuses on development of interactive installations and user-focused online experiences.
Juan Garzon is a Full Stack Developer at iCapital Network Inc. Prior to becoming a software developer, his history with Education and Technology dates back to High School as a student in the first few pilot Mouse Squad programs. He would later become a facilitator of the program at Robert F Wagner Jr. SSAT. Eventually becoming a full-time member of Mouse as a Field Support Representative, where he trained students and teachers in over 100 schools, and co-founded Emoti-Con. He still donates his time and resources to help inspire students pursue careers in technology.
Juliana earned their BFA in Art & Design from the Stamps School at the University of Michigan and their MS in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University, and is currently working on their EdD at the University of Illinois. Juliana’s creative work aims to highlight the subject of gender-inequality in both the private and public sectors, and includes overtones of satire mixed with museum exhibition and historic architectural references. They founded Triangle Worship in 2016 as a non-gendered lifestyle label that creates products celebrating color and material, with a humorous nod.
Lorelle Reid is the head of Global Technical Operations at Outbrain. Outbrain is the world's leading performance-driven discovery and native advertising platform. A former runway model, Lorelle studied Computer Science at Fordham University and became a full-stack software engineer working with companies such as: R/GA, Nike, Verizon, Samsung, L’Oréal & Pepsi. She is a national speaker for Girls Who Code, an iMentor, and mentors over 60 young women through various associations. Her message is “you do not have to look a certain way to succeed a certain way”.
Mia Therese Jamili is an Assistant Vice President at Credit Suisse's Asset Management division, overseeing the firm's IT portfolio across North America. Previously, she managed technology & policy projects advancing economic equity with the City of New York and worked as a Program & Project Management Specialist & Innovation Champion promoting emerging and collaborative tech at Accenture. She holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley with postgrad studies at Columbia University.
Naim Falandino is a data scientist and engineer with nearly twenty years of experience building data-driven solutions in numerous industries. He currently is CTO of Groundspeed Analytics. Prior to Groundspeed, Naim served as director of research and development at Nokia for the Deepfield product line. Deepfield was acquired in 2017, where he was Chief Scientist. He holds a MS in Information Science from the University of Michigan, and a BS in Computer Science from Michigan State University.
Oscar is an award winning multidisciplinary designer & technologist and founder of delasign. His work is sold in over 30 countries by the Museum of Modern Art and can be found in over 200 Apple stores around the world. He has worked on high-profile projects such as the Apple Watch Nike+ and has been interviewed by El Mundo.
Rob Canciello is a founder of Stuido Studios, an independent game development studio ins Brooklyn, NY. As a producer, Rob works with clients to create content that centers on innovative interactive experiences with a focus on social play. He oversees internal game development within the studio, with a personal focus on game design and environment/level design. He's been an nstructor for Playcrafting's ""Learn Unity in 8 Weeks"" and is currently an Adjunct Professor for ""Intro to Game Programming"" at Bloomfield College and ""Game Studio"" at The New York Film Academy.
Rudy Blanco served as the Director of Digital Learning overseeing new and innovative ventures in technology and education. As Director of Digital Learning, Rudy has managed and overseen several projects related to the use of technology for learning, career exploration and development. Rudy has managed partnerships with organizations like Google, The New York Video Game Critics Circle, Here to Here and Mouse. Currently, Rudy is working on opening up one of the first gaming spaces in the Bronx called BX Start meant for community members to explore career pathways into the gaming industry.
As a Community Manager at Fullstack Academy, Sam gets to work with cool people all day and make unexpected connections. This goes back to his days of hosting theme parties. In his career, he has worked with such wonderful folks as Sesame Street, Sony Legacy, eMusic, and Mouse. For more information, please visit him.
Sarah is a recent graduate of Lehigh University where she received a dual degree in Computer Science and Business with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is now working as a software engineer at Google working on the open source Nomulus Registry for top-level domains. Sarah is a proud member of the Lime Connect Network and the Disability-Alliance Employee Resource Group at Google. Sarah is passionate about creating accessible products, especially for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
My expertise is in websites and web-related experiences. Sometimes I build them to experience the code and keep abreast of modern development. Most of the time I architect them. I help develop ideas for the web - to explore who they are for, what they will do, and how best to bring them to life. This blends disciplines of design, website technology, information architecture, and user experience. I then detail how a website will be built, the technologies used, and ensure best practices are employed.
I’m Creative Lead and Interaction Designer. My role is designing experiences, figuring out these sequences of interaction that our uses are going to have, anticipating how they do things, how they feel, how they know what to do next. And my focus is making these learning interactions meaningful, memorable and engaging. This year I’m working on pa very exciting VR project. It’s a number of short immersive experiences. I oversee and contribute: Prototyping, Set design, 3D models, Concept Art for characters and animations. I've never been at EMOTI-CON, so excited to be part of it!
Tiffany is a Design Educator at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. With a background in design and a passion for education, she inspires learners from New York's five boroughs and beyond to think critically about the the physical and social world around them, and feel empowered through Design to make positive change.
Veronica joined the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design in Fall 2019 to oversee admissions and recruiting for Stamps undergraduate programs following 12 years at the UM School of Information, where she held increasingly-responsible positions within the school's admissions and student affairs structure in the service of future UX designers, librarian and archivists, and data analysts. Falandino’s consistent thread throughout her work is to identify, understand, and remove barriers to access and success for marginalized students.
Emoti-Con! is made possible through the support of our generous sponsors and supports youth-serving organizations throughout NYC. Download our PDF to learn about becoming an Emoti-Con! sponsor.
