Binghamton University student Gabby Banaag was recently named as one of Major League Hacking’s (MLH) top 50 hackers of 2022.
According to its website, MLH is the “official student hackathon league,” and the driving force behind hundreds of weekend-long competitions aimed at improving computer science skills and cultivating a community within the field. Banaag, a junior majoring in computer science, was chosen as one of MLH’s top 50 for her work with her nonprofit, Helloo World. The goal of Helloo World is to make a difference through technology and coding, according to Banaag.
“[At] my nonprofit, called Helloo World — with two O’s — we kind of try to show people that, through technology and coding, you can make a difference,” Banaag said. “It doesn’t have to be a big thing. You don’t have to be the president of the United States. You don’t have to go out and try to spread yourself thin — even coding a website has the power to enact change. So we kind of show ways how you can do that, by hosting events where people have the opportunity to make their own products that can foster social impact.”
Banaag said she was exposed to the tech industry at a young age, and that this played a pivotal role in her starting the nonprofit.
“I started this three years ago, which is crazy, but I started it because I went to a coding camp where I saw other people making projects that revolve around social impact,” Banaag said. “A lot of people presented on things like homelessness and sustainability and things like that, and I kind of realized that it’s really simple to make something that has the power to impact a lot of people and help a lot of people. All of these projects were made in a two-day span, so I was like, ‘If you can do that in two days, what can you do in a week or a month?’”
Beyond her work with her nonprofit, Banaag is involved in a number of organizations on campus, including Alpha Omega Epsilon, an engineering and technical science sorority. Banaag is also the vice president of the Computer, Robotics and Engineering (CoRE) living-learning community in the Dickinson Community on campus.
Nicholas Reyes, the president of CoRE and a sophomore majoring in computer science, described how Banaag’s impact on CoRE is significant.
“[Banaag] has shown an exceptional amount of resilience and creativity over the years, and I’d like to think she has learned much during her time at CoRE,” Reyes wrote. “Having her presence as a role model and vice president in our community is invaluable, and she will surely contribute to CoRE’s growth as an organization. Doubtless, CoRE is proud to house one of MLH’s Top 50 within our dorms. As for what it means for me, I’m proud of [Banaag] for reaching this milestone in what will likely be a lengthy, prosperous career for her.”
Banaag said she is grateful to have been chosen as one of MLH’s top 50 hackers, given the wide array of talent present in the coding community.
“It’s a huge honor because there are so many people in the community that they could have picked, and I think it’s crazy that I was one of them,” Banaag said. “50 people is a lot of people, but out of 500,000, I still think that it’s super cool that I was picked. I’m very grateful. Everyone on the list is super accomplished, and they’ve all done so much for their communities, and for the tech space at large, and to be named as one of those people, it’s a great honor.”