Edward Drobnis, 19
The Resilient Community Builder Empowering First-Time Hackers Across Canada
When Edward Drobnis first discovered a passion for programming in grade seven, he didn’t even own a laptop. Watching his friends build Roblox games in Lua, he refused to let limited hardware hold him back. Edward set out to find another way to learn, building Discord bots using a Scratch-like mobile platform on a tablet with a broken screen. Driven by curiosity and resourcefulness, he eventually learned JavaScript, created a bot from scratch, and scaled it to over 5,000 servers - all before entering high school.
Edward's early coding projects evolved into collaborative engineering through his school's Coding Club and FIRST Robotics team - helping his team earn the Innovation in Control Award. "This experience showed me how technology could be used to solve complex challenges under time pressure, and it ultimately introduced me to hackathons," Edward explains. His true watershed moment arrived in January 2024 at UTRAHacks - his first in-person hackathon. Lacking confidence in his coding skills, he joined a randomly formed team where a teammate patiently explained concepts step-by-step throughout the weekend. "That moment left a lasting impression on me, because they prioritized helping me learn rather than simply maximizing our chances of winning," Edward reflects. "It showed me that the hacker community values growth, collaboration, and inclusivity, and it made me feel like I truly belonged."
Receiving that step-by-step guidance fundamentally defined the hacker ecosystem for Edward. Realizing that a simple encouraging moment could set a novice on a trajectory toward long-term success, he resolved to cultivate that environment for others. Stepping into leadership over the following years, Edward helped organize numerous events serving more than 13,000 hackers. His organizing philosophy centers on removing barriers for beginners. At Hack404, he helped introduce a beginner track focused on "MicroHacks" - an approach where guided workshops enabled first-time participants to build multiple smaller projects instead of one large project, resulting in first-time hackathon participants to leave with portfolios of completed 3D designs and Figma prototypes. At Counterspell Toronto, a beginner-focused event hosted at Shopify’s Toronto office for high school students and below, Edward focused on mentorship and hands-on support. Yet as he helped a new generation take their first steps on their path into tech, he was simultaneously forging his own: while organizing the event, he met a recruiter who introduced him to the Dev Degree program. The program’s experiential learning model was one that made complete sense for Edward - a practical, impact-driven environment where he could thrive and build at scale.
Edward's leadership as an organizer is defined by incredible resilience and unwavering dedication. When facing steep operational hurdles, his immediate instinct is to step up and do whatever it takes to ensure participants have an extraordinary experience. During Scrapyard Toronto, when his team faced a last-minute venue cancellation, the hoodies were stolen, and a fellow organizer fell ill, Edward helped steer the event to a seamless finish - delivering an experience that attendees praised as one of the most supportive they had ever attended. For Hack Canada 2026, when budget constraints threatened participant meals, Edward and his co-organizers stepped directly into the venue's kitchen, preparing meals to keep 800 hackers fueled. Beyond solving immediate event logistics, he also focused on long-term impact by introducing a 30-day post-hackathon program supported by Spur Innovation Center and Google for Startups to help participants continue developing their projects beyond the weekend.
That same drive to empower others continues to expand Edward's reach across the tech ecosystem. Today, he serves as Chair of the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC), where he has helped rebuild the organization and bring together more than 4,000 students through conferences, hackathons, and community events across Canada. Reflected in every role he takes on is a deep gratitude for the journey that brought him here. “These experiences [...] have all left a lasting mark on me. They taught me resilience, adaptability, leadership, and the value of community. Most importantly, they reminded me that even in the face of chaos, a passionate, motivated team can create something incredible. These moments, funny, stressful, and inspiring all at once, continue to drive me to contribute meaningfully to the hacker community.”
Quick Facts
Edward Drobnis, 19
The Resilient Community Builder Empowering First-Time Hackers Across Canada
When Edward Drobnis first discovered a passion for programming in grade seven, he didn’t even own a laptop. Watching his friends build Roblox games in Lua, he refused to let limited hardware hold him back. Edward set out to find another way to learn, building Discord bots using a Scratch-like mobile platform on a tablet with a broken screen. Driven by curiosity and resourcefulness, he eventually learned JavaScript, created a bot from scratch, and scaled it to over 5,000 servers - all before entering high school.
Edward's early coding projects evolved into collaborative engineering through his school's Coding Club and FIRST Robotics team - helping his team earn the Innovation in Control Award. "This experience showed me how technology could be used to solve complex challenges under time pressure, and it ultimately introduced me to hackathons," Edward explains. His true watershed moment arrived in January 2024 at UTRAHacks - his first in-person hackathon. Lacking confidence in his coding skills, he joined a randomly formed team where a teammate patiently explained concepts step-by-step throughout the weekend. "That moment left a lasting impression on me, because they prioritized helping me learn rather than simply maximizing our chances of winning," Edward reflects. "It showed me that the hacker community values growth, collaboration, and inclusivity, and it made me feel like I truly belonged."
Receiving that step-by-step guidance fundamentally defined the hacker ecosystem for Edward. Realizing that a simple encouraging moment could set a novice on a trajectory toward long-term success, he resolved to cultivate that environment for others. Stepping into leadership over the following years, Edward helped organize numerous events serving more than 13,000 hackers. His organizing philosophy centers on removing barriers for beginners. At Hack404, he helped introduce a beginner track focused on "MicroHacks" - an approach where guided workshops enabled first-time participants to build multiple smaller projects instead of one large project, resulting in first-time hackathon participants to leave with portfolios of completed 3D designs and Figma prototypes. At Counterspell Toronto, a beginner-focused event hosted at Shopify’s Toronto office for high school students and below, Edward focused on mentorship and hands-on support. Yet as he helped a new generation take their first steps on their path into tech, he was simultaneously forging his own: while organizing the event, he met a recruiter who introduced him to the Dev Degree program. The program’s experiential learning model was one that made complete sense for Edward - a practical, impact-driven environment where he could thrive and build at scale.
Edward's leadership as an organizer is defined by incredible resilience and unwavering dedication. When facing steep operational hurdles, his immediate instinct is to step up and do whatever it takes to ensure participants have an extraordinary experience. During Scrapyard Toronto, when his team faced a last-minute venue cancellation, the hoodies were stolen, and a fellow organizer fell ill, Edward helped steer the event to a seamless finish - delivering an experience that attendees praised as one of the most supportive they had ever attended. For Hack Canada 2026, when budget constraints threatened participant meals, Edward and his co-organizers stepped directly into the venue's kitchen, preparing meals to keep 800 hackers fueled. Beyond solving immediate event logistics, he also focused on long-term impact by introducing a 30-day post-hackathon program supported by Spur Innovation Center and Google for Startups to help participants continue developing their projects beyond the weekend.
That same drive to empower others continues to expand Edward's reach across the tech ecosystem. Today, he serves as Chair of the Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC), where he has helped rebuild the organization and bring together more than 4,000 students through conferences, hackathons, and community events across Canada. Reflected in every role he takes on is a deep gratitude for the journey that brought him here. “These experiences [...] have all left a lasting mark on me. They taught me resilience, adaptability, leadership, and the value of community. Most importantly, they reminded me that even in the face of chaos, a passionate, motivated team can create something incredible. These moments, funny, stressful, and inspiring all at once, continue to drive me to contribute meaningfully to the hacker community.”
