JUSTIN HULL, DET1

Before joining our Intensive Immersion Program, Justin Hull (Detroit Cohort 1 Hidden Genius Alum) considered himself to be antisocial and often struggled to stay motivated to achieve his goals. Everything changed once Justin entered our program as he learned how to open up and be more sociable with his peers. In addition to learning how to code and be a leader, Justin thrived in our game development track which propelled him to win the Baba Lemon Best App Award last year in Detroit. We sat down with 16-year-old Justin to get a firsthand account of his journey, and to learn more about the role The Hidden Genius Project has played in his growth and development.

How have you been? 

My life has been going well. Recently, I’ve become motivated to achieve my personal goals of working out more and getting my driver’s license. I have also been working hard to create a new, first-person adventure game on Unreal Engine. It’s been a challenging process learning how to properly import models into the game at the precise angle, scale, and rotation, so I’ve been watching online tutorials and reading forums to help me through this process. Overall, I’ve been enjoying the experience of learning how to create a game on this platform. 

How did you first learn about The Hidden Genius Project?

I learned about The Hidden Genius Project when Mr. Malcolm (Detroit Site Director) approached my dad and told him about the program. At first, I didn’t want to join since I was already taking a week-long game development camp in the spring, and I wasn’t excited about participating in another program back-to-back. After thinking about it for multiple days with my dad, I finally decided I wanted to join and I am glad I said yes.

What was your experience in the program like?

I enjoyed my brother’s company and what they brought to the overall feel of the program. At first, no one in my cohort was talking to each other, and everyone was just sitting at the tables quietly. But when a few people started reaching out to others, everything just felt better because it made me feel included in the overall group.

One of my favorite things we did in the program was go on a trip to visit the University of Michigan. Having the opportunity to tour around the college, especially the Technology and Robotics Department, was really helpful for me to get a feel of the campus. We also saw amazing technologies (See highlights in this social post on Instagram) that people are working on like robots and exoskeleton gear (Michigan University houses the best academic research lab devoted to two-legged robots in the world). It was an overall great experience that opened up my eyes to what the university is capable of, and how the students thrive under the university’s teachings. Because of this experience, I would love to attend the University of Michigan as a computer science major.

Describe the game you created during your time in the Immersion Program.

For my final project, I created a game called Survive The Horde using Unity game engine and c# as my programming language. It’s a game where you have to survive ten waves of enemies on a spaceship, and then beat the boss to win. My favorite features that I put into the game were the enemies and the wave system which spawns more enemies after the player destroys all of the enemies in a level.

At the End of Summer Celebration, I won the Baba Lemon Best App Award for my Survive The Horde game which felt very good. I have never achieved something as big as that and seeing all of the love and congratulations from other people made me feel like I could achieve anything.

How is The Hidden Genius Project different from other mentorship or training experiences that you have been involved in?

Compared to other programs, I felt closer to my brothers and staff in The Hidden Genius Project. This is due to my brother always bonding with me and inviting me to join them in activities during free time such as playing football and playing video games. Being included made me feel less of an outcast in the program, and gave me a little bit of courage to talk to other people more than I would have before. There’s this feeling you get when you join a program with people you all have a shared interest with, and everyone looks like you; It’s that difference that makes The Hidden Genius Project so special.

What specific skills learned in The Hidden Genius Project have been most beneficial for you?

While at The Hidden Genius Project, I learned how to budget for my daily life when I reach adulthood. This skill will help me in my future so that I won’t spend thousands of dollars on useless stuff, and run out of money because of that. This also translated to budgeting for college, which was very beneficial for me since I want to go to a college that better suits me financially.

I also enjoyed learning how to build a website and a game. This helped me learn new coding skills that can help me make amazing websites. Learning the basics of creating a game allowed me to better understand the entire process of game development.

What was the most important thing you gained on a personal level (development, relationship, community, etc.) from participating in The Hidden Genius Project?

I became more sociable since participating in The Hidden Genius Project. Ever since I was little, I have always been a very shy and quiet person. Whenever I was in a place without my friends, I would always be myself and never talk to anyone else unless they needed something from me. I also had little motivation to complete my personal goals and projects. Now, I am less shy talking to people than before, and I have become more social after seeing how easy it was to connect with my brothers in the program. I have also gained more knowledge in my coding skills, which has helped me become more motivated to finish my first game that I made before I joined the program.

In what ways have you remained involved with The Hidden Genius Project since completing the 15-month Intensive Immersion program?

I helped out in a recent Brothers Code event that happened last year in December. I wanted to give back to The Hidden Genius Project by helping out in any way I could, especially knowing all of the things that they have done for me. At Brothers Code, my cohort brother (Josiah Forrest, DET1 Hidden Genius Alum) and I taught the adult workshop class about the basics of coding using Scratch. I enjoyed teaching this session with Josiah as he was great at helping the adults understand the material. Overall, Brothers Code is an important event because its a way to showcase what The Hidden Genius Project is capable of.

In what ways has the staff of The Hidden Genius Project continued to support you since graduating from the program?

They tell me about new opportunities that would be beneficial for me such as internships, college walkthroughs, and other programs. Although I haven’t used them much, it’s always great to have these opportunities at your fingertips that I can take advantage of. So whenever they show me an opportunity that I am interested in pursuing, I will always bank it knowing I can talk to them about those opportunities in the future.

If you could talk to yourself just before you applied, what is one thing you would say?

I would tell myself to always be involved in The Hidden Genius Project, whether it’s a discussion or it’s break time. Doing so would make your time at the program even more fun, and you would never feel bored.

What words of encouragement do you have for future Geniuses?

The Hidden Genius Project is really a fun place where you can make lasting friendships with your brothers and make cool stuff while doing it, all while finding the genius that is hidden within yourself.