Sarah Huang, 22
Sarah Huang: From “Not Meant for Tech” to Mentoring the Next Generation of Hackers
If you’d asked Sarah Huang in high school where she’d end up, “building projects at 2AM in a fluorescent-lit lecture hall” probably wouldn’t have made the list. But today, Sarah is a proud MLH Fellow, hackathon veteran, and Events Lead Organizer of Hack Western, one of Canada’s largest hackathons.
Her journey didn’t start with confidence. “I loved the logic and creativity of building things from scratch,” she says, “but I didn’t think it was a path meant for me.” Coming from a traditional household, she was steered toward business over engineering. But something inside her knew she had to try.
That leap of faith landed her in Western University’s dual degree program in Software Engineering and Business and at her first hackathon, SheHacks, in 2023. “That weekend was full of learning, laughter, and even silly TikToks with my team,” she recalls. “But more importantly, it gave me the confidence to keep building.”
It also gave her direction. After SheHacks, Sarah set a goal to attend one hackathon per month. Two years later, she’s gone from first-timer to seasoned builder, organizer, and mentor. As Events Organizer and Lead for Hack Western 10 and 11 respectively, she helped transform the post-COVID landscape into an accessible, welcoming space for hackers of all backgrounds.
Her mission? Create hackathons where no one feels like an outsider. “I feel empathy and nostalgia watching someone walk in unsure of themselves and leave with a finished project, new friends, and a belief in their own potential,” she says. “That’s what the hacker community gave me, and that’s what I’m committed to providing others.”
Sarah’s not just organizing from the sidelines. She’s contributed as a Production Engineering Fellow through the MLH Fellowship, interned at Cohere through meeting their recruiter at hackathons, and led workshops and mentorship sessions at events across North America. She’s even taken the hacker mindset global, introducing students in Ghana to rapid prototyping and project-based learning.
One of her proudest accomplishments? Leading environmental conversations to reduce waste at Hack Western, questioning the thousands of liters of water wasted on T-shirts and pushing for more sustainable swag alternatives. “I want to challenge the idea that hackathons can’t be both fun and responsible,” she says.
When Sarah’s not debugging code or organizing 400-person events, you’ll find her playing ultimate frisbee on Western’s varsity team (7th in the nation!), sewing clothes, or—true story—dressing up in a bald cap to pitch a hackathon project as Pitbull. Yes, Pitbull.
Tech wasn’t supposed to be her path. Now she’s building it for others.
Quick Facts
Links
Sarah Huang, 22
Sarah Huang: From “Not Meant for Tech” to Mentoring the Next Generation of Hackers
If you’d asked Sarah Huang in high school where she’d end up, “building projects at 2AM in a fluorescent-lit lecture hall” probably wouldn’t have made the list. But today, Sarah is a proud MLH Fellow, hackathon veteran, and Events Lead Organizer of Hack Western, one of Canada’s largest hackathons.
Her journey didn’t start with confidence. “I loved the logic and creativity of building things from scratch,” she says, “but I didn’t think it was a path meant for me.” Coming from a traditional household, she was steered toward business over engineering. But something inside her knew she had to try.
That leap of faith landed her in Western University’s dual degree program in Software Engineering and Business and at her first hackathon, SheHacks, in 2023. “That weekend was full of learning, laughter, and even silly TikToks with my team,” she recalls. “But more importantly, it gave me the confidence to keep building.”
It also gave her direction. After SheHacks, Sarah set a goal to attend one hackathon per month. Two years later, she’s gone from first-timer to seasoned builder, organizer, and mentor. As Events Organizer and Lead for Hack Western 10 and 11 respectively, she helped transform the post-COVID landscape into an accessible, welcoming space for hackers of all backgrounds.
Her mission? Create hackathons where no one feels like an outsider. “I feel empathy and nostalgia watching someone walk in unsure of themselves and leave with a finished project, new friends, and a belief in their own potential,” she says. “That’s what the hacker community gave me, and that’s what I’m committed to providing others.”
Sarah’s not just organizing from the sidelines. She’s contributed as a Production Engineering Fellow through the MLH Fellowship, interned at Cohere through meeting their recruiter at hackathons, and led workshops and mentorship sessions at events across North America. She’s even taken the hacker mindset global, introducing students in Ghana to rapid prototyping and project-based learning.
One of her proudest accomplishments? Leading environmental conversations to reduce waste at Hack Western, questioning the thousands of liters of water wasted on T-shirts and pushing for more sustainable swag alternatives. “I want to challenge the idea that hackathons can’t be both fun and responsible,” she says.
When Sarah’s not debugging code or organizing 400-person events, you’ll find her playing ultimate frisbee on Western’s varsity team (7th in the nation!), sewing clothes, or—true story—dressing up in a bald cap to pitch a hackathon project as Pitbull. Yes, Pitbull.
Tech wasn’t supposed to be her path. Now she’s building it for others.
