Mansi Saini knows something about commitment. Whether it is a personal challenge to learn a new skill, a chance to rise to leadership roles, or an opportunity to dedicate her time and energy to helping new hackers, she gets it done.

Her journey began in high school through the Girls Who Code web development course. Her curiosity in computer science ignited, and when she discovered a link to her first hackathon in a Girls Who Code alumni newsletter, she was off to the races.

At Creatica 2020, where she and her team of friends built a website to guide high school students’ paths to college, she realized she was hooked. She recalls, “It was a rewarding experience to see what hackathons are like and how awesome the community truly is.”  Her dedication to computer science and technology didn’t slow down there. At the end of 2020, she entered TechTogether New York’s hackathon, working with partners across the country to develop a Google Chrome extension to keep kids engaged during virtual learning. It took her 36 hours of non-stop coding to finish, but this intense commitment only fueled her fire.

Her first hackathon win came early. Mansi won Best UI/UX hack at Rose Hack in January 2021. Recalling the win, she says, “I was completely in shock…here I was learning, coding, designing, and somehow winning a hackathon.” It was then her mindset began to change. Although she proceeded to win and place near the top in many more hackathons, she found a new passion for leadership and mentoring others: a way to give back to the community. She realized, “The most valuable parts of my hackathon experiences are the friendships and industry knowledge that I have gained.” Mentorship and coaching seemed a natural transition.

Her main pathway to mentorship was through TechTogether. She attended many hackathons (most of which were TechTogether events) back-to-back in 2021 where she enjoyed the experience and learned plenty, but she also witnessed a welcoming feeling of community. She joined the mentor network in the fall of 2021 and continues to mentor at each TechTogether event today. Mansi took on other leadership opportunities when she joined the organizing team for Hydrangea Hacks in June 2021 where she helped oversee the 706-person event. One of her biggest roles has been as an MLH Coach in which she serves as a “hackathon superhero,” mentoring hackers, debugging code for teams, leading the judging process, and helping events run smoothly.

As far back as her Girls Who Code days, Mansi saw the importance of compassion and inclusion. She appreciated the value of a relaxed and safe coding space and enjoyed working with only femme and non-binary individuals early in her career. She now mentors that same population through TechTogether hackathons and sees it as her way to give back to her community. Many organizations she has partnered with have formed to include marginalized or underrepresented hackers, such as the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), Tech Ladies, and the UCSC Society of Women Engineers Club.

Her dedication and willingness to achieve her goals perfectly sums up her hacking trajectory. Whether she is coaching, mentoring, challenging herself to learn new technologies, or encouraging new community members, she will put her all into it.

Having participated in all stages of hackathons, from recruit to coach, Mansi has exemplified her determination, drive, and focus of her coding passion. And in doing so, she has continued to share that passion with other like-minded hackers.