Dhiraj Chauhan, 20
Dhiraj Chauhan is a constant advocate for open source and public learning. A third-year computer science student from Mumbai, India, Dhiraj formerly worked as a full-stack developer at Ironforge, and he specializes in Android, Web, and Solana blockchain development.
His support for public learning drives him to constantly share his knowledge with others. He loves to speak at events and has conducted multiple seminars to encourage and mentor students who are interested in programming, open source, and building tech communities.
Dhiraj is a Google Summer of Code mentor at 52°North (where he started last year as a participant). He was also a Major League Hacking (MLH) Fellow in 2022, collaborating with Solana Labs through our Web3 Engineering track. Along with that, he is a GitHub Campus Expert and actively promotes open source in his local community. Dhiraj attributes his achievements to open source and believes in its power to facilitate collaborative learning and growth.
His path wasn’t always easy, though. At first, Dhiraj wasn’t sure technology was for him. He remembers that at the start of his journey as a programmer, “I struggled to write even a single line of code or make sense of the concepts.” Yet he persevered and learned Python, eventually starting Android development and learning about open source technology. He credits his brother for pushing him to persevere and work harder.
Once he enrolled at the Thakur College of Engineering, he couldn’t find a community where he could discuss what he was learning. The solution? He and his colleagues founded Cerritus Coders, a student-run community focusing on open-source, project-based learning, helping students learn and develop their coding skills. Under Dhiraj's leadership, Cerritus Coders has grown to over 400 people and has had a significant impact on the hacker community. He says, “Through our efforts, we have organized multiple events and impacted thousands of students, giving them a platform for learning, building, and sharing.”
Dhiraj got hooked on hackathons through his first hackathon, MLH HackFit in November 2021. The competition and teamwork aspects of HackFit showed him the potential of MLH hackathons to build community and inspire learning.
Dhiraj believes in sharing his knowledge, and enjoys mentoring and teaching others. He has organized 10+ events impacting thousands of students and helping them grow their skill sets. His efforts have had a significant impact on the hacker community. He states, “This journey through technology, communities, and hackathons has definitely been amazing. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such inspiring, supportive, and inclusive communities, which have surely changed my life.” With his knowledge, skills, and dedication, he is sure to continue making a difference in the technology world and inspiring others to do the same.
Quick Facts
Dhiraj Chauhan, 20
Dhiraj Chauhan is a constant advocate for open source and public learning. A third-year computer science student from Mumbai, India, Dhiraj formerly worked as a full-stack developer at Ironforge, and he specializes in Android, Web, and Solana blockchain development.
His support for public learning drives him to constantly share his knowledge with others. He loves to speak at events and has conducted multiple seminars to encourage and mentor students who are interested in programming, open source, and building tech communities.
Dhiraj is a Google Summer of Code mentor at 52°North (where he started last year as a participant). He was also a Major League Hacking (MLH) Fellow in 2022, collaborating with Solana Labs through our Web3 Engineering track. Along with that, he is a GitHub Campus Expert and actively promotes open source in his local community. Dhiraj attributes his achievements to open source and believes in its power to facilitate collaborative learning and growth.
His path wasn’t always easy, though. At first, Dhiraj wasn’t sure technology was for him. He remembers that at the start of his journey as a programmer, “I struggled to write even a single line of code or make sense of the concepts.” Yet he persevered and learned Python, eventually starting Android development and learning about open source technology. He credits his brother for pushing him to persevere and work harder.
Once he enrolled at the Thakur College of Engineering, he couldn’t find a community where he could discuss what he was learning. The solution? He and his colleagues founded Cerritus Coders, a student-run community focusing on open-source, project-based learning, helping students learn and develop their coding skills. Under Dhiraj's leadership, Cerritus Coders has grown to over 400 people and has had a significant impact on the hacker community. He says, “Through our efforts, we have organized multiple events and impacted thousands of students, giving them a platform for learning, building, and sharing.”
Dhiraj got hooked on hackathons through his first hackathon, MLH HackFit in November 2021. The competition and teamwork aspects of HackFit showed him the potential of MLH hackathons to build community and inspire learning.
Dhiraj believes in sharing his knowledge, and enjoys mentoring and teaching others. He has organized 10+ events impacting thousands of students and helping them grow their skill sets. His efforts have had a significant impact on the hacker community. He states, “This journey through technology, communities, and hackathons has definitely been amazing. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such inspiring, supportive, and inclusive communities, which have surely changed my life.” With his knowledge, skills, and dedication, he is sure to continue making a difference in the technology world and inspiring others to do the same.
Quick Facts
