Janet Zulu, 20
Janet Zulu fell into coding mostly by chance. She was browsing YouTube when she discovered a video encouraging viewers to try and learn to code. Since that fateful day, she has thrown herself full force into programming, and has become an accomplished developer along the way.
When she started at Texas A&M University – San Antonio, she knew computer science was her calling. She joined the hackathon community after attending her first hackathon, Veterans Codeathon 2021. It was there that she fell in love with hackathons and learned the importance of teamwork. As she says, “Coding can be incredibly challenging, so keeping others motivated is essential. Learning more about the hackers around me and encouraging each other definitely helped me.”
Her first hackathon experience was not all smooth sailing. As she says, “When I was invited to join, I felt overwhelmed with imposter syndrome. I reached out to my peers for advice on how to excel and contribute to the upcoming hackathon, but I was still nervous. As the hackathon began, I struggled to believe that I deserved the title of hacker.” Once the event got underway, however, Janet gained confidence in her skills. Although her team did not win the event, they were extremely proud of their achievements.
After her first hackathon, Janet participated in more events, some fraught with challenges, like HackUTD 2022, where she had to restart her project halfway through the competition. Others went down as more memorable than others. At TAMUhack 2023, Janet’s team put their heads together and won the General Motors AI challenge. With the support of her peers, Janet has overcome the self-doubt she faced early in her hackathon career.
As a DREAMer (beneficiary of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), Janet has faced numerous challenges and obstacles. Through education and a positive attitude, triumphing over the odds has become a habit. She has risen to become President of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and ACM’s Women in Computing at Texas A&M. Her efforts to remove limitations for other DREAMer students have led to fundraising and transportation solutions for many coders. She says, “I am proud to say that we have been able to take 36 students to hackathons completely free of charge, and all hackathons requiring travel for the fall 2023 semester are fully funded.” Her compassionate approach inspires and motivates others in her community.
Quick Facts
Janet Zulu, 20
Janet Zulu fell into coding mostly by chance. She was browsing YouTube when she discovered a video encouraging viewers to try and learn to code. Since that fateful day, she has thrown herself full force into programming, and has become an accomplished developer along the way.
When she started at Texas A&M University – San Antonio, she knew computer science was her calling. She joined the hackathon community after attending her first hackathon, Veterans Codeathon 2021. It was there that she fell in love with hackathons and learned the importance of teamwork. As she says, “Coding can be incredibly challenging, so keeping others motivated is essential. Learning more about the hackers around me and encouraging each other definitely helped me.”
Her first hackathon experience was not all smooth sailing. As she says, “When I was invited to join, I felt overwhelmed with imposter syndrome. I reached out to my peers for advice on how to excel and contribute to the upcoming hackathon, but I was still nervous. As the hackathon began, I struggled to believe that I deserved the title of hacker.” Once the event got underway, however, Janet gained confidence in her skills. Although her team did not win the event, they were extremely proud of their achievements.
After her first hackathon, Janet participated in more events, some fraught with challenges, like HackUTD 2022, where she had to restart her project halfway through the competition. Others went down as more memorable than others. At TAMUhack 2023, Janet’s team put their heads together and won the General Motors AI challenge. With the support of her peers, Janet has overcome the self-doubt she faced early in her hackathon career.
As a DREAMer (beneficiary of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), Janet has faced numerous challenges and obstacles. Through education and a positive attitude, triumphing over the odds has become a habit. She has risen to become President of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and ACM’s Women in Computing at Texas A&M. Her efforts to remove limitations for other DREAMer students have led to fundraising and transportation solutions for many coders. She says, “I am proud to say that we have been able to take 36 students to hackathons completely free of charge, and all hackathons requiring travel for the fall 2023 semester are fully funded.” Her compassionate approach inspires and motivates others in her community.
Quick Facts
