Donald Lee, 22
Building What Was Missing: How Donald Lee Forged His Own Path into Tech and Lifted a Community Behind Him
Defined by an unstoppable curiosity and a self-starter drive, Donald Lee built his own path into tech. In grade 9, he decided to teach himself web development. Without guidance, he relied on YouTube tutorials, online resources, and relentless trial and error. That persistent experimentation paid off in a big way during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Donald noticed people around him were missing crucial public health information. Wanting to make a tangible difference, he built a Discord bot that delivered daily updates and educational resources. The project quickly scaled, reaching over 240,000 users. “That experience showed me that coding is a skill that can be used to create real impact. Anyone can learn it, and whatever I wish the internet had, I can just build it myself. From that point on, I was hooked.”
Seeking a community of like-minded people to push his technical boundaries, Donald entered his first hackathon in grade 10. That first intense all-nighter with his team ended in a second-place finish - a pivotal moment that ignited his passion for hackathons and gave Donald the confidence to keep going. Online hackathons unlocked a global network of peers who shared his enthusiasm for tech. Reflecting on this mindset shift, Donald notes, "Hackathons have fundamentally changed how I learn and approach problems. They exposed me to new technologies I wouldn’t have explored otherwise and pushed me to build quickly, iterate, and communicate ideas clearly. Being surrounded by ambitious and creative people for 48 hours in one building constantly raises the bar for what I think is possible." Wanting to create opportunities for other high schoolers in British Columbia, he founded YouthHacks 2022 under a youth-led non-profit called Youth Helping Youth and started a local coding club to pass along the foundational skills he had worked hard to teach himself.
When Donald transitioned to university, he joined nwPlus - the organization behind some of Western Canada’s largest hackathons, including HackCamp, nwHacks, and cmd-f. Progressing through roles from Developer Coordinator to Dev Director and Co-President, Donald consistently focused on improving hacker engagement and lowering barriers to entry. Explaining his motivation, Donald shares, "A lot of this comes from my own experience starting out without much guidance, so I try to build the kind of environment I wish I had." To transform hackathons into more interactive spaces, he designed a custom networking system where hackers earned points by scanning QR codes and participating in mini-events. He also consistently organized pre-hackathon workshops so beginners feel prepared before stepping into an event. Recognizing how deeply these organizing roles have shaped his own growth: "Leading teams, managing large events, and creating meaningful experiences for others has made me more confident, intentional, and driven in everything I do.”
Even while directing massive events, Donald has maintained his spark for competing, traveling across North America to attend hackathons like CalHacks and Hack the North. At Hack the North 2025, his team created Fragments - an AI-powered video clipping and "second brain" tool - taking home top awards for Best Use of AWS DynamoDB Streams and Best Use of Cohere API. Beyond competing, these trips allow him to build lasting cross-continental bonds with other community leaders, from late-night story-sharing circles to long-term cross-event collaborations that continue to inspire his work.
Donald's journey is an inspriational example of a full-circle moment. The once self-taught engineer now thrives at the center of an expansive, supportive ecosystem, continuously giving back to the network that helped shape his path. As Donald reflects on what this environment means to him today, "The hacker community became more than just a place to build, it became a network of people who have shaped both my personal and technical growth and I’ve met so many incredibly smart people from around the world that still inspire me today."
Quick Facts
Donald Lee, 22
Building What Was Missing: How Donald Lee Forged His Own Path into Tech and Lifted a Community Behind Him
Defined by an unstoppable curiosity and a self-starter drive, Donald Lee built his own path into tech. In grade 9, he decided to teach himself web development. Without guidance, he relied on YouTube tutorials, online resources, and relentless trial and error. That persistent experimentation paid off in a big way during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Donald noticed people around him were missing crucial public health information. Wanting to make a tangible difference, he built a Discord bot that delivered daily updates and educational resources. The project quickly scaled, reaching over 240,000 users. “That experience showed me that coding is a skill that can be used to create real impact. Anyone can learn it, and whatever I wish the internet had, I can just build it myself. From that point on, I was hooked.”
Seeking a community of like-minded people to push his technical boundaries, Donald entered his first hackathon in grade 10. That first intense all-nighter with his team ended in a second-place finish - a pivotal moment that ignited his passion for hackathons and gave Donald the confidence to keep going. Online hackathons unlocked a global network of peers who shared his enthusiasm for tech. Reflecting on this mindset shift, Donald notes, "Hackathons have fundamentally changed how I learn and approach problems. They exposed me to new technologies I wouldn’t have explored otherwise and pushed me to build quickly, iterate, and communicate ideas clearly. Being surrounded by ambitious and creative people for 48 hours in one building constantly raises the bar for what I think is possible." Wanting to create opportunities for other high schoolers in British Columbia, he founded YouthHacks 2022 under a youth-led non-profit called Youth Helping Youth and started a local coding club to pass along the foundational skills he had worked hard to teach himself.
When Donald transitioned to university, he joined nwPlus - the organization behind some of Western Canada’s largest hackathons, including HackCamp, nwHacks, and cmd-f. Progressing through roles from Developer Coordinator to Dev Director and Co-President, Donald consistently focused on improving hacker engagement and lowering barriers to entry. Explaining his motivation, Donald shares, "A lot of this comes from my own experience starting out without much guidance, so I try to build the kind of environment I wish I had." To transform hackathons into more interactive spaces, he designed a custom networking system where hackers earned points by scanning QR codes and participating in mini-events. He also consistently organized pre-hackathon workshops so beginners feel prepared before stepping into an event. Recognizing how deeply these organizing roles have shaped his own growth: "Leading teams, managing large events, and creating meaningful experiences for others has made me more confident, intentional, and driven in everything I do.”
Even while directing massive events, Donald has maintained his spark for competing, traveling across North America to attend hackathons like CalHacks and Hack the North. At Hack the North 2025, his team created Fragments - an AI-powered video clipping and "second brain" tool - taking home top awards for Best Use of AWS DynamoDB Streams and Best Use of Cohere API. Beyond competing, these trips allow him to build lasting cross-continental bonds with other community leaders, from late-night story-sharing circles to long-term cross-event collaborations that continue to inspire his work.
Donald's journey is an inspriational example of a full-circle moment. The once self-taught engineer now thrives at the center of an expansive, supportive ecosystem, continuously giving back to the network that helped shape his path. As Donald reflects on what this environment means to him today, "The hacker community became more than just a place to build, it became a network of people who have shaped both my personal and technical growth and I’ve met so many incredibly smart people from around the world that still inspire me today."
