Hey Everyone! I’m Sanidhya from MLH

Hey Everyone! I am Sanidhya Goel, a new MLH Hackathon Community Manager (HCM) for Asia Pacific, and I couldn’t be more excited to expand my role on the MLH team and community!

My journey into the hacker community didn't start with me being a hacker, as it is for most people; it started with me wearing a volunteer badge.

During my second year of college, I volunteered for my campus's first-ever hackathon, Code Kshetra, organized via Geek Room. I went in just checking it out on a senior's recommendation, but I ended up witnessing something great. Beyond the impressive development work, I saw people genuinely connecting, playing games, and jamming in music sessions. It was the most fun I’d had in a long time.

That energy pushed me to jump in as a hacker. I teamed up with three classmates for Techminds Hackathon, where we built an IoT project and ended up winning! From that moment, I was completely hooked on both attending and organizing hackathons.

Interestingly, my next hackathon (Vihaan 007) was my first encounter with MLH. I saw the MLH booth, but I was so hyper-focused on building my project that I didn't even question what it was; I just grabbed my swag and went back to coding!

My perspective shifted when I became the lead of Geek Room and organized Code Kshetra 2.0. We officially registered as an MLH member event. For context, becoming an MLH Member Event means partnering directly with Major League Hacking, through which the organizers get hands-on support throughout the entire planning process, while the hackers get access to mentorship, software, prizes, swag, and exclusive event resources from our partners. I had the chance to work with Siddharth Shivkumar (my HCM at the time) and Vinayak (our MLH Coach for the event). Working with them for months to curate the best possible event made me realize the sheer potential of an MLH partnership. It opened my eyes to the fact that the hacker community is a massive, globally connected network far beyond my local well.

I knew I wanted to be part of it. I applied to be a Coach, but the timing wasn't right as MLH wasn't hiring. I spent the next year organizing over five amazing hackathons throughout 2025. Then, in November, I finally got an email from Ryan asking if I was still interested. Hell yeah, I was!

After an amazing set of interviews, where Ryan and Siddharth came to Delhi and met my incredible fellow Coaches Harshita, Romanch, Toukir, and Anjana, I officially started staffing events.

Usually, new MLH Coaches are paired with experienced staff for their first few events to learn the ropes. I had 2 events where I was paired with Siddharth to experience and learn the ropes of being an MLH Coach. And then came Electrothon 8.0; I was paired with a senior Coach who unfortunately fell ill at the last minute, making me the sudden event lead.

I won't lie, I was overwhelmed and a little hesitant. But handling the full event, running workshops, and connecting with so many passionate people all in one place, and working with the help of Paul (my Coach on call) and Alex (my MLHer on call), this ended up being the best experience of my life. It was a massive investment of time and energy, but it made me realize this is what I wanted to do.

Up until March 2026, I had been working as a full-time software engineer at an amazing AI startup, tackling complex problems and building applications for the country's largest financial players. But in April, I just had the instinct and pulled the trigger, texted Ryan to ask about more opportunities on the team, and here I am! I officially joined the team in July after another round of interviews.

I can't wait to work with you all and see what we build together this season. Follow me on DEV + connect with me on LinkedIn and feel free to reach out to us anytime at league@mlh.io.

Happy Hacking!