Andry Rakotonjanabelo, 22
Andry Rakotonjanabelo: The Resourceful Builder and Inspiring International Student
Andry Rakotonjanabelo (Gettysburg College ’25) is an enthusiastic hacker, whose journey from Madagascar to North America is a testament to both serendipity and his relentless drive to build. Andry started coding in middle school, teaching himself through Khan Academy and YouTube videos, creating games for his younger brothers and himself. Despite his school in Madagascar lacking a formal CS program, his passion led him to pursue Computer Science in the US. Although his first virtual hackathon didn’t go as planned, it set the stage for his love of in-person collaboration, which truly sparked at HackHarvard.
As an active member and former President of the ACM chapter at Gettysburg College, Andry has been a vocal advocate for financially supporting student participation in hackathons, successfully lobbying for college funding for travel and housing. His efforts have inspired younger students and even led to his university planning its first hackathon. One of his own hackathon projects, SwiftApply (HenHacks 2025), directly helped him secure a full-time AI/ML Software Engineer role. He hopes his story—an international student finding community by showing up and building—can inspire others who’re just beginning their journey.
Java is Andry’s favorite language, having been instrumental in securing his Google internship. He relies on Discord for community connections and GitHub for his projects. A truly memorable experience for Andry was YCPHacks 2024, where he mentored a group of eight first-year CS students attending their first hackathon. Despite juggling this with his own team’s project (and linear algebra homework!). Each of the teams ended up winning prizes—a special moment made even more special by the guidance of an MLH coach. A fun quirk? He wears hackathon shirts at least twice a week, a tradition he jokingly started to avoid buying new clothes.
Quick Facts
Andry Rakotonjanabelo, 22
Andry Rakotonjanabelo: The Resourceful Builder and Inspiring International Student
Andry Rakotonjanabelo (Gettysburg College ’25) is an enthusiastic hacker, whose journey from Madagascar to North America is a testament to both serendipity and his relentless drive to build. Andry started coding in middle school, teaching himself through Khan Academy and YouTube videos, creating games for his younger brothers and himself. Despite his school in Madagascar lacking a formal CS program, his passion led him to pursue Computer Science in the US. Although his first virtual hackathon didn’t go as planned, it set the stage for his love of in-person collaboration, which truly sparked at HackHarvard.
As an active member and former President of the ACM chapter at Gettysburg College, Andry has been a vocal advocate for financially supporting student participation in hackathons, successfully lobbying for college funding for travel and housing. His efforts have inspired younger students and even led to his university planning its first hackathon. One of his own hackathon projects, SwiftApply (HenHacks 2025), directly helped him secure a full-time AI/ML Software Engineer role. He hopes his story—an international student finding community by showing up and building—can inspire others who’re just beginning their journey.
Java is Andry’s favorite language, having been instrumental in securing his Google internship. He relies on Discord for community connections and GitHub for his projects. A truly memorable experience for Andry was YCPHacks 2024, where he mentored a group of eight first-year CS students attending their first hackathon. Despite juggling this with his own team’s project (and linear algebra homework!). Each of the teams ended up winning prizes—a special moment made even more special by the guidance of an MLH coach. A fun quirk? He wears hackathon shirts at least twice a week, a tradition he jokingly started to avoid buying new clothes.
