Laurier grad Dylinh Bun (BSc '26) creates a legacy of friendship with Meet a Hawk app

June 9, 2026

As Wilfrid Laurier University graduates celebrate the friendships and memories that shaped their student experience, Computer Science grad Dylinh Bun (BSc ’26) is leaving behind a tool designed to help others do the same. Bun is the creator of Meet A Hawk, a social-connection app that has helped students find friendship, community and belonging on Laurier's Waterloo campus.

Like a matchmaking app, but without the romantic element, Meet A Hawk connects Laurier Waterloo students with like-minded Golden Hawks through a discovery dashboard. Users can view each other’s profiles and connect with classmates with similar interests or schedules.

Bun created the app in March 2026 after reading a Reddit post by a Laurier student struggling to make social connections.

“A lot of students form their friend groups in their first year through clubs and intramurals,” says Bun. “It can be hard to meet new people if you don’t make those early connections. That’s where Meet A Hawk can help.”

Bun built the app in just 48 days using the skills he developed in his computer science classes, including CP312: Algorithm Design and Analysis, CP213: Object Oriented Programming and CP476: Internet Computing. With no previous experience developing for mobile, he turned to Codex, an AI coding tool by Open AI that helps users rapidly prototype new apps and programs. Despite the rapid evolution of AI, Bun is not concerned about its impact on his career path as a software engineer. Instead, he is embracing AI tools to accelerate his development.

“AI is amazing because it can accelerate your ideas and build quick prototypes,” says Bun. “But, if you want to build something that can scale, you need to understand the fundamentals of what you’re making. Coding is only a small part of the process.”

Bun took an interest in computer programming while in high school. By Grade 10, he had coded his first game, a simple pixelated alien-shooter based on “Realm of the Mad God,” one of his favourite online games. He has also developed games in Roblox, an online game-creation platform, including one that has been played more than 200,000 times.

Bun chose Laurier for its Computer Science program and tight-knit student community. He had early glimpses into student life and the community at Laurier’s Waterloo campus when visiting his older sister, who was already studying at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.

When Bun arrived at Laurier in fall 2022, he got involved in student life as a member of clubs including Laurier Helps Ukraine, EcoHawks and Healthy Lifestyles. He credits his involvement in student clubs with helping him form strong friendships and contributing to some of his defining memories as a Golden Hawk.

After he crosses the convocation stage in June, Bun will stay connected with Laurier as he plans to continue supporting Meet A Hawk, including creating an Android version and adding features like study groups. “My goal is to continue improving my skills and keep learning,” says Bun. “There are endless things I want to learn and improve upon.” He has tapped into his sister’s marketing skills to help grow the app’s user base and expand to the University of Waterloo.

“I'm happy that I'm making a positive impact on 150 students,” says Bun. “Maybe in the future, I could make a positive impact on 1000 people, 100,000 – even a million.