Gedion Teshome, 22
Gedion Teshome grew up reading science fiction novels and has had a passion for technology for as long as he can remember. While he fixed electronic devices all the time growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he specifically recalls that it was when he fixed his first laptop while still in middle school that he knew the direction he wanted to go with his career. In high school, Gedion began taking advanced programming courses, and soon realized he had a knack for coding. Toward the end of high school, even though Gedion was already well prepared for the software engineering program he would begin at the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University after graduation, he “wanted to try something new and learn something different” than what was taught in class.
Though he did not feel qualified to participate in his first hackathon, ETHIOHACKS, in 2018, hackathons seemed like a perfect place to learn, and Gedion even managed to take second place for his project. Gedion says “the people I met and the experience itself was so inviting that I [have] been involved ever since.” Competing in a number of other hackathons since 2018, including Same Home Different Hacks, ICON Hyperhack, and DevRev, Gedion has paved his way through the hacker community. In addition to competing, Gedion has gone on to act as a mentor and a judge at other hackathons, become a GitHub Campus Expert, and has even helped organize a hackathon with Def Hacks.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gedion says he had the opportunity to “read, learn, and practice anything and everything.” During the first year of the pandemic, Gedion dedicated his time to learning new stacks, taking on difficult data science and cybersecurity courses, and sourcing partnership leads for a tech startup. However, Gedion felt he needed direction to narrow his focus as a programmer to more specific skill sets. He joined the MLH Fellowship in the summer of 2021 and continued to develop his programming skills with a little more guidance. In that time, he also developed a passion for teaching others and began hosting workshops. Gedion says the “experience…itself helped me to stand out from the talent pool.” Within months of completing the Fellowship, Gedion was being recognized by large tech companies and has since worked as a senior full stack developer and a technical trainer.
For nearly a year, Gedion has also worked as an Admissions Specialist with Major League Hacking, interviewing and helping to select the best candidates out of the thousands of applications. Gedion says he became an Admissions Specialist because of how highly he regarded the Fellowship. Opportunities like the MLH Fellowship are not exactly common in Addis Ababa, and Gedion is happy to be able to give back to the hacker community. In his role as admissions specialist, Gedion says he appreciates giving other “talented people out there the same experience I was able to gain from the Fellowship.” Gedion plans to stay involved in the hacker community after he graduates from his university and says his experience as a hacker has left him feeling “prepared, confident, and ready” for his professional career after college.
Quick Facts
Gedion Teshome, 22
Gedion Teshome grew up reading science fiction novels and has had a passion for technology for as long as he can remember. While he fixed electronic devices all the time growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he specifically recalls that it was when he fixed his first laptop while still in middle school that he knew the direction he wanted to go with his career. In high school, Gedion began taking advanced programming courses, and soon realized he had a knack for coding. Toward the end of high school, even though Gedion was already well prepared for the software engineering program he would begin at the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University after graduation, he “wanted to try something new and learn something different” than what was taught in class.
Though he did not feel qualified to participate in his first hackathon, ETHIOHACKS, in 2018, hackathons seemed like a perfect place to learn, and Gedion even managed to take second place for his project. Gedion says “the people I met and the experience itself was so inviting that I [have] been involved ever since.” Competing in a number of other hackathons since 2018, including Same Home Different Hacks, ICON Hyperhack, and DevRev, Gedion has paved his way through the hacker community. In addition to competing, Gedion has gone on to act as a mentor and a judge at other hackathons, become a GitHub Campus Expert, and has even helped organize a hackathon with Def Hacks.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gedion says he had the opportunity to “read, learn, and practice anything and everything.” During the first year of the pandemic, Gedion dedicated his time to learning new stacks, taking on difficult data science and cybersecurity courses, and sourcing partnership leads for a tech startup. However, Gedion felt he needed direction to narrow his focus as a programmer to more specific skill sets. He joined the MLH Fellowship in the summer of 2021 and continued to develop his programming skills with a little more guidance. In that time, he also developed a passion for teaching others and began hosting workshops. Gedion says the “experience…itself helped me to stand out from the talent pool.” Within months of completing the Fellowship, Gedion was being recognized by large tech companies and has since worked as a senior full stack developer and a technical trainer.
For nearly a year, Gedion has also worked as an Admissions Specialist with Major League Hacking, interviewing and helping to select the best candidates out of the thousands of applications. Gedion says he became an Admissions Specialist because of how highly he regarded the Fellowship. Opportunities like the MLH Fellowship are not exactly common in Addis Ababa, and Gedion is happy to be able to give back to the hacker community. In his role as admissions specialist, Gedion says he appreciates giving other “talented people out there the same experience I was able to gain from the Fellowship.” Gedion plans to stay involved in the hacker community after he graduates from his university and says his experience as a hacker has left him feeling “prepared, confident, and ready” for his professional career after college.
Quick Facts
