Josie Daw, 33
Josie Daw: From History Buff to Hackathon Hero
Nine years ago, Josie Daw was staring at a Python tutorial in a job interview, convinced she was about to break her computer. Today, she’s a full-stack developer, a hackathon organizer, a mentor to hundreds, and a quiet powerhouse behind South Korea’s growing grassroots tech scene.
“I’ve always been someone interested in tech,” she says, “but I thought you needed to be good at maths and science for that, and I failed my maths exam three times in high school!” It wasn’t until a serendipitous interview for an admin role at a small tech company, where she was left alone with eight pages of terminal commands, that things shifted. “I was terrified. I thought I was going to burn out my laptop. But when it printed a list of fruit back to me in Python, I realized coding wasn’t some alien thing after all.”
That moment sparked a slow-burn transformation. She taught herself basic web dev, did a short bootcamp during COVID, and eventually landed a job in tech. But her real superpower? Turning her own fears and barriers into open doors for others.
Josie is the founder of Constant Coding, a community she launched in 2022 to give free, beginner-friendly workshops to people underrepresented in tech. “I often make my tutorials with my grandmother in mind,” she laughs. “Some people don’t even know how to save a file, and that’s okay. We start from there.” Since then, she’s run over 30 workshops, mentored hundreds of people, and earned a reputation in Seoul’s tech scene as the person who always replies, always helps, and never judges.
In 2023, she launched Seoul Tech Impact, South Korea’s first English-first hackathon for social good. “Most hackathons in Korea literally say ‘no foreigners allowed,’” she explains. “After experiencing Technica remotely in 2021, I wanted to bring that same joy and belonging to people here who’d otherwise never get the chance.” The first event came together in under six weeks. By 2024, it had doubled in size, with 150 participants, more workshops, and 25 finished projects.
She also co-founded Tech Korea Advocates, a professional network for the tech community in Seoul, and somehow finds time to volunteer her web dev skills to nonprofits ranging from dog rescues to war memorials. “I give virtually all of my free time to the community,” she says, “with the exception of bi-weekly pilates to fix my terrible posture from sitting all day.”
Despite her long list of accomplishments, Josie insists she’s still learning. “I’m introverted, I still get nervous before every event, and I’ve literally spent an hour trying to eat a slice of pizza because of all the questions afterward. But those moments, when someone says I inspired them to take the first step, those are everything.”
Her story, like her code, is carefully built bit by bit, brick by brick, with intention, grit, and heart. As Josie puts it, “I never set out to inspire anyone. I just wanted to help people not feel so alone.” And in doing so, she’s quietly reshaping what it means to belong in tech.
Quick Facts
Josie Daw, 33
Josie Daw: From History Buff to Hackathon Hero
Nine years ago, Josie Daw was staring at a Python tutorial in a job interview, convinced she was about to break her computer. Today, she’s a full-stack developer, a hackathon organizer, a mentor to hundreds, and a quiet powerhouse behind South Korea’s growing grassroots tech scene.
“I’ve always been someone interested in tech,” she says, “but I thought you needed to be good at maths and science for that, and I failed my maths exam three times in high school!” It wasn’t until a serendipitous interview for an admin role at a small tech company, where she was left alone with eight pages of terminal commands, that things shifted. “I was terrified. I thought I was going to burn out my laptop. But when it printed a list of fruit back to me in Python, I realized coding wasn’t some alien thing after all.”
That moment sparked a slow-burn transformation. She taught herself basic web dev, did a short bootcamp during COVID, and eventually landed a job in tech. But her real superpower? Turning her own fears and barriers into open doors for others.
Josie is the founder of Constant Coding, a community she launched in 2022 to give free, beginner-friendly workshops to people underrepresented in tech. “I often make my tutorials with my grandmother in mind,” she laughs. “Some people don’t even know how to save a file, and that’s okay. We start from there.” Since then, she’s run over 30 workshops, mentored hundreds of people, and earned a reputation in Seoul’s tech scene as the person who always replies, always helps, and never judges.
In 2023, she launched Seoul Tech Impact, South Korea’s first English-first hackathon for social good. “Most hackathons in Korea literally say ‘no foreigners allowed,’” she explains. “After experiencing Technica remotely in 2021, I wanted to bring that same joy and belonging to people here who’d otherwise never get the chance.” The first event came together in under six weeks. By 2024, it had doubled in size, with 150 participants, more workshops, and 25 finished projects.
She also co-founded Tech Korea Advocates, a professional network for the tech community in Seoul, and somehow finds time to volunteer her web dev skills to nonprofits ranging from dog rescues to war memorials. “I give virtually all of my free time to the community,” she says, “with the exception of bi-weekly pilates to fix my terrible posture from sitting all day.”
Despite her long list of accomplishments, Josie insists she’s still learning. “I’m introverted, I still get nervous before every event, and I’ve literally spent an hour trying to eat a slice of pizza because of all the questions afterward. But those moments, when someone says I inspired them to take the first step, those are everything.”
Her story, like her code, is carefully built bit by bit, brick by brick, with intention, grit, and heart. As Josie puts it, “I never set out to inspire anyone. I just wanted to help people not feel so alone.” And in doing so, she’s quietly reshaping what it means to belong in tech.
