CS Student Anne Do, Class of 2027, has been named to 2025’s MLH Top 50—a list compiled each year by Major League Hacking (MLH) that showcases the organization’s most inspiring community members. The recipients are recognized for their exceptional contributions to the tech ecosystem and STEM education.
Do earned her place on the list through her leadership in tech-for-good initiatives and for her rapid rise in the hackathon community. As the former Impact Director for ACM at UCLA, she led the creation and first two iterations of UCLA’s only tech-for-good hackathon, Hack2Impact, designed to serve nonprofit organizations by giving participants the opportunity to build tech solutions with real-world impact. Despite starting college with limited coding experience, Do has become a formidable presence in the hackathon circuit, winning awards at prestigious events including AthenaHacks, LA Hacks, Cerebral Beach Hacks, QWER Hacks, and the MIT Policy Hackathon.
“Hackathons became my bridge to hands-on technical skills and a supportive community,” says Do. “It was through pitching projects and leading cross-functional teams that I discovered my true strengths in product management: guiding developers, championing projects centered around social good, and inspiring others to see the positive change they can create with technology.”
Do’s tech journey began in high school at Kode With Klossy, a summer camp that teaches girls to code. Despite having no prior coding experience, she quickly grasped web development fundamentals and built several websites. She later returned to Kode With Klossy as an instructor assistant, teaching mobile app development.
At her first hackathon, IrvineHacks in January 2024, Do was initially nervous due to her limited coding experience and not knowing anyone. However, she found a supportive team that was specifically looking for beginners eager to learn. The team taught her tools like Figma, Node.js, and Bootstrap, and their kindness inspired her approach to paying it forward at future hackathons.
Beyond hackathons, Do serves as a mentor and Lobbying Committee Member for the Society of Women Engineers at UCLA, an AI/ML Fellow in the Break Through Tech AI program, and Ethics Education Co-Director for the Science Mentorship Institute, a student-run nonprofit dedicated to increasing accessibility to STEM research.
“Being selected for the MLH Top 50 is an exceptional honor, as each recipient is chosen from our community of more than 500,000 developers worldwide,” says Mike Swift, MLH CEO and Co-Founder. “These 50 individuals represent the most innovative and impactful members of the next generation of technologists, and we’re proud to celebrate their contributions to the global developer community.”
To learn more about the MLH Top 50, visit here.