Building Community Through Code at Laurier

A Laurier Computer Science graduate created 'Meet a Hawk' to help students build friendships and find belonging on campus.

From coding games in high school to launching a student-focused social app used across Wilfrid Laurier University's campuses, Dylinh Bun (BSc Computer Science, 2026) turned a challenge many students face into an opportunity to build community. As he graduates, Dylinh hopes his work will help future Golden Hawks find friendship, connection and belonging.

Turning a student challenge into a solution

The idea for Meet a Hawk started with a simple question: how can students who are looking to expand their social circle make meaningful connections beyond their first year?

After reading a Reddit thread by a Laurier student struggling to meet new people, Bun decided to build his solution. The result was “Meet a Hawk,” a social-connection app designed specifically for students at Laurier's Waterloo campus. Like a matchmaking platform (but focused on friendship), the app allows students to find classmates with shared interests, courses and schedules, and helps them build connections inside and outside of the classroom.

For Bun, the project was about creating more opportunities for Golden Hawks to feel part of a community. “A lot of students form friend groups in their first year through clubs and intramurals,” says Dylinh. “It can be hard to meet new people if you don't make those early connections. That's where Meet a Hawk can help.”

Bringing classroom learning to life

Dylinh developed Meet a Hawk in just 48 days (!) by drawing on the programming, software development and problem-solving skills he gained through Laurier's Computer Science program. Courses such as Algorithm Design and Analysis, Object-Oriented Programming and Internet Computing helped provide the technical foundation he needed to bring his idea to life.

Although he had never developed a mobile app before, Dylinh embraced new technologies and AI-powered coding tools to accelerate the process. “AI is amazing because it can accelerate your ideas and build quick prototypes. But if you want to build something that can scale, you need to understand the fundamentals of what you're making. Coding is just a small part of the process.”

Dylinh's experience reflects one of the real advantages of studying Computer Science at Laurier: applying classroom learning to real-world projects that solve meaningful problems and create tangible impact.

Finding community while building it

Dylinh's passion for technology began long before university. By Grade 10, he had already programmed his first video game and later created games on Roblox that attracted more than 200,000 players. When it came time for him to choose a university, Laurier stood out for its strong Computer Science program combined with its warm, welcoming campus community. Inspired by visits to his older sister while she studied at Laurier, he knew he wanted to be part of the Golden Hawk experience.

As a student, Dylinh became actively involved on campus through organizations like Laurier Helps Ukraine, EcoHawks, and Healthy Lifestyles. Those experiences helped him build lasting friendships, develop leadership skills and create many of his favourite university memories.

Now that he has graduated, Dylinh plans to continue developing Meet a Hawk, including expanding the platform from its current 150 users, introducing new features such as study groups and bringing the app to additional campuses. “I'm happy that I'm making a positive impact on 150 students,” he says. “Maybe in the future, I could make a positive impact on 1,000 people, 100,000 — even a million.”

Whether building apps, creating games or solving complex challenges, Laurier Computer Science students are empowered to turn their ideas into reality and make a difference in the communities around them.