Hack the Town: A Spotlight on Anta and our Summer Hackathon
When Anta Thiane moved from Senegal to the United States in 2016, she couldn't have imagined that a few years later she'd be developing a coding education app for Google Play. But that's exactly what happened at Hack the Hood's recent "Hack the Town" event, where emerging young developers from across the Bay Area came together to create mobile applications that serve their communities.
"Sometimes you want to change your life but you don't have the means to do it. This is the chance for that starting point," says Anta, now 20 and living in Emeryville. Her journey with Hack the Hood began with a Python bootcamp in Fall 2021, where she discovered her passion for programming. "After the bootcamp, I realized this is actually really fun and I can do this," she reflects.
“Sometimes you want to change your life but you don’t have the means to do it. This is the chance for that starting point.”
A Weekend of Innovation
The inaugural Hack the Town event, a partnership between Hack the Hood and Google Play, proved to be a remarkable success. The numbers tell a compelling story:
87% reported the event significantly increased their interest in app development
93% of participants gave the event high marks, rating it 'Excellent' or 'Very Good'"
93% said they were "Extremely likely" to recommend the event to others
100% of participants expressed interest in future events
Justin Lam, a volunteer at the hackathon and a data security analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence, witnessed the impact firsthand. "It was terrific learning about the drive and creativity fostered by the community," says Lam. "It is tremendously encouraging to be with the next generations of engineers, developers, entrepreneurs and dare-I-say information security practitioners and leaders."
Learning Beyond Code
Anta and her team developed CODE-E, a Duolingo-style app for coding education that features 3-D gaming and immersive, interactive learning experiences. "There's a lot of apps that teach programming, but they're not interactive or fun," Anta explains. "We wanted to show how fun coding actually is." The team incorporated real-world applications into their challenges and questions, ultimately switching to Unity Game Development technology and the C-Sharp language for implementation.
While building the app, Anta and her team gained invaluable experience in planning, development, design, and project management. "The most exciting part was solving problems in groups," Anta shares. "We all have our own ideas but we brought them together to create a winning app." This collaborative experience provided insight into how apps are developed in real-world settings.
Breaking Down Barriers
Koyel De, one of the event's judges and SaaS strategist at Amazon Web Services, highlighted the broader implications of this work.
"It was incredibly inspiring to witness the talent and passion of these young individuals, tackling real-world challenges with innovative tech, AI and ML solutions," she says. She points to troubling statistics from the Berkeley Haas Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership, which analyzed 133 AI systems and found 44 percent showed gender bias, while 25 percent exhibited both gender and racial bias.
“It was incredibly inspiring to witness the talent and passion of these young individuals, tackling real-world challenges with innovative tech, AI and ML solutions.”
"Diversity isn't just a buzzword," Koyel explains. "It's a critical factor in ensuring that AI and technology are developed with inclusivity and fairness in mind, catering to the needs of all communities. When we fail to embrace diverse perspectives, we risk perpetuating biases and creating solutions that work for some while leaving others behind."
Hack the Hood provides not just education but essential resources – including free laptops – to ensure that the organization reduces barriers that prevent talented individuals from pursuing careers in technology.
Looking Forward
The overwhelming success and positive feedback from this inaugural hackathon demonstrates the vital need for events that bring together diverse voices in technology. As Koyel shared, "Let's collectively work towards an AI and tech landscape that truly reflects the rich tapestry of our society, where every voice is heard, and every brilliant mind has a seat at the table."
For Anta, this journey continues through Techtonica's full-stack web development bootcamp while her team's CODE-E app moves toward deployment on Google Play. As these young innovators demonstrate, technology's greatest breakthroughs often emerge when we create spaces where talent, diversity, and opportunity intersect. Through their innovative solutions and collaborative spirit, participants like Anta aren't just building apps—they're building bridges to a more inclusive digital future.
Help Us Go Beyond the Code. Stories like these are made possible by supporters like you. Your gift to our Beyond the Code campaign helps us provide not just technical training, but the comprehensive support that transforms talent into opportunity. Join us in building a tech future that reflects the full brilliance of our communities.
