Hannah Nguyen, 22
Redefining Who Belongs in Tech: Hannah Nguyen’s Impact on VTHacks and Beyond
When Hannah Nguyen entered Virginia Tech as a business major, she was not actively seeking out the developer space - the community found her. Her primary goal as a freshman was simply to step out of her comfort zone, build connections, and share her passion for digital art. Introducing herself on the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Discord server, her creative talents caught the attention of the lead organizer for VTHacks. Although she had never heard of a hackathon before, she eagerly stepped up to design graphics for the event - marking the beginning of an extraordinary four-year journey as a core organizer from VTHacks X through VTHacks 13.
While Hannah did not have prior hackathon experience, her background in STEM leadership and exploration made her the perfect person to step into the ecosystem. In high school, she served on the executive board for her school's Women in STEM chapter, hosting professional development workshops and bringing in guest speakers ranging from college students to working professionals. Throughout middle and high school, she actively dabbled in technology by taking engineering and programming courses where she learned skills like Python and created in Scratch. That early curiosity and commitment to empowering others through technology seamlessly translated into her work as a college organizer.
Hannah served as the Marketing Committee Chair before becoming the Design Committee Lead, creating the iconic branding, swag, and promotional artwork that brought over 1,000 hackers together each year. Standing in lectures or walking across campus, seeing peers wearing a VTHacks shirt or sporting a custom hexagon sticker on their laptop became a powerful reminder of the vibrant space she helped foster. Beyond Virginia Tech, she attended HackCon 2024 and HackCon 2025 to connect with the hackathon community and become a stronger organizer.
Driven to experience hackathons from the other side, Hannah took a leap of faith and stepped into HackViolet 2023 with zero prior web development experience. Her team built a resource hub for women in STEM named FemTech. They didn’t win any prizes, but Hannah got to experience the transformative power of peer-to-peer learning in the hackathon environment for the first time. “I feel as if I learn so much more from participating in hackathons than in the classroom. Not only do I learn skills from working on projects, I also learn about new technologies from seeing other teams' projects as well. The drive, passion, and creativity hackers have always makes me feel so excited and hopeful about the future of technology.”
In her senior year, that hands-on hacker journey reached a triumphant conclusion. “Third time's a charm!” Hannah recalls. At HackViolet 2026, Hannah and her team won the MLH: Best Use of Snowflake API prize track for their project, Learnspace - “a web application and Chrome extension that turns bookmarked content into an AI-powered learning system.” Taking home a win of her own marked the ultimate capstone to her hackathon journey.
Ultimately, Hannah's lasting impact on the hacker community lies in her dedication to breaking down barriers and welcoming non-traditional students into technical spaces. She leaves behind a legacy of showing peers that technical expertise isn't a prerequisite for innovation. “Many people think that since they aren't a Computer Science major they can't or aren't 'smart' enough to participate in a hackathon,” Hannah reflects. “I always share the positive experiences I have had and emphasize that hackathons encourage curiosity and learning.” From designing graphics for her very first event to taking home a win of her own at her last, Hannah's story proves that creativity, community, and continuous learning belong at the core of technology.
Quick Facts
Hannah Nguyen, 22
Redefining Who Belongs in Tech: Hannah Nguyen’s Impact on VTHacks and Beyond
When Hannah Nguyen entered Virginia Tech as a business major, she was not actively seeking out the developer space - the community found her. Her primary goal as a freshman was simply to step out of her comfort zone, build connections, and share her passion for digital art. Introducing herself on the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Discord server, her creative talents caught the attention of the lead organizer for VTHacks. Although she had never heard of a hackathon before, she eagerly stepped up to design graphics for the event - marking the beginning of an extraordinary four-year journey as a core organizer from VTHacks X through VTHacks 13.
While Hannah did not have prior hackathon experience, her background in STEM leadership and exploration made her the perfect person to step into the ecosystem. In high school, she served on the executive board for her school's Women in STEM chapter, hosting professional development workshops and bringing in guest speakers ranging from college students to working professionals. Throughout middle and high school, she actively dabbled in technology by taking engineering and programming courses where she learned skills like Python and created in Scratch. That early curiosity and commitment to empowering others through technology seamlessly translated into her work as a college organizer.
Hannah served as the Marketing Committee Chair before becoming the Design Committee Lead, creating the iconic branding, swag, and promotional artwork that brought over 1,000 hackers together each year. Standing in lectures or walking across campus, seeing peers wearing a VTHacks shirt or sporting a custom hexagon sticker on their laptop became a powerful reminder of the vibrant space she helped foster. Beyond Virginia Tech, she attended HackCon 2024 and HackCon 2025 to connect with the hackathon community and become a stronger organizer.
Driven to experience hackathons from the other side, Hannah took a leap of faith and stepped into HackViolet 2023 with zero prior web development experience. Her team built a resource hub for women in STEM named FemTech. They didn’t win any prizes, but Hannah got to experience the transformative power of peer-to-peer learning in the hackathon environment for the first time. “I feel as if I learn so much more from participating in hackathons than in the classroom. Not only do I learn skills from working on projects, I also learn about new technologies from seeing other teams' projects as well. The drive, passion, and creativity hackers have always makes me feel so excited and hopeful about the future of technology.”
In her senior year, that hands-on hacker journey reached a triumphant conclusion. “Third time's a charm!” Hannah recalls. At HackViolet 2026, Hannah and her team won the MLH: Best Use of Snowflake API prize track for their project, Learnspace - “a web application and Chrome extension that turns bookmarked content into an AI-powered learning system.” Taking home a win of her own marked the ultimate capstone to her hackathon journey.
Ultimately, Hannah's lasting impact on the hacker community lies in her dedication to breaking down barriers and welcoming non-traditional students into technical spaces. She leaves behind a legacy of showing peers that technical expertise isn't a prerequisite for innovation. “Many people think that since they aren't a Computer Science major they can't or aren't 'smart' enough to participate in a hackathon,” Hannah reflects. “I always share the positive experiences I have had and emphasize that hackathons encourage curiosity and learning.” From designing graphics for her very first event to taking home a win of her own at her last, Hannah's story proves that creativity, community, and continuous learning belong at the core of technology.
