Manish Bhattarai

Always fascinated by discovery and creation, Manish was naturally drawn to Computer Science. After some time learning the basics of programming, he was eager to join whatever hackathon he could and see what he could create. With this attitude, he was brought to Everest Hack, where he worked as a volunteer.

The organizers had big goals in mind, and Manish made sure they were met. He participated in the presentation of the benefits of hackathons in order to encourage students from all over to participate in Everest Hack. With volunteers like Manish, Everest Hacks became the largest hackathon ever organized in Nepal at the time. Seeing such a rewarding outcome to the work he put in only fueled him to take his position from hackathon volunteer to hackathon participant at HexCode. Manish and his team built a web app to provide a platform for disaster relief through the organized distribution of materials. The amount of time he had put into learning the appropriate skills, volunteering in order to see how these skills are put to use, and finally implementing those skills for the sake of meaningful creation made Manish certain that this is what he wanted.

The same thoroughness that Manish brought into his journey of understanding the ins and outs of CS is apparent in all of his projects. His favorite is Smartfarmer, his first venture in digital hackathons with MLH. Learning IOT at the time inspired him to put that knowledge to use by making a smart IOT system for land development. The project won a category prize, putting his first hackathon win under his belt.

The hacker community, apart from aiding his learning process, gave Manish social skills that he’ll always be grateful for. Even before his time in college, he was a shy guy that preferred keeping to himself and didn’t see much of a reason to change. Public speaking wasn’t just an inconvenience, it was a nightmare. But after learning CS and being introduced to some welcoming tech communities, his outlook was changed entirely. The same shy person was now speaking about the appeal of hackathons to large groups of strangers without breaking a sweat. It no longer felt like a chore, but a true interest to connect with people from all around the world.

Manish was able to realize this dream of learning and growing with his community after being selected as a Microsoft Student Partner. Thanks to his community, his responsibilities were nothing he couldn’t handle, organizing workshops, publicly speaking, and participating in weekly tech events. As his experience grew, so did his confidence. He took this confidence as a sign to organize the first ever MLH member event “BernHack 2020”  in Nepal. This led to further experiences like speaking at HackCon 2020 and being selected as a GitHub Campus Expert.

Hackathons have always had an effect on Manish that encouraged him to take his ideas one step further so that they don’t just remain ideas, but become functional projects. The lessons of time management in the scope of big ideas that come naturally from the beneficial pressure of hackathons have given him confidence and leadership abilities. But greater than his confidence is his gratitude to his community and the connections that he’s built because of it. This growth alongside his peers has led him to the belief in learning and growing together.

Not many hackathons have been organized in Nepal. The long waiting period between events left Manish and his peers eager for any opportunity, so when MLH came to APAC, he immediately applied. Bringing a large international hackathon to Nepal left his team with encouraging feedback from participants, mentors, and judges. The overwhelming positivity has allowed him to usher in the second Nepalese MLH member event as an advisor.

Manish is a testament to the fact that time is an essential aspect of growing among the hacker community. It seemed scary at first, but his team-oriented peers made the growth seamless. A massive part of his enjoyment in tech is interacting with his fellow hackers, collecting their interests, and acknowledging their feedback. Looking back and seeing how he has been able to organize events, volunteer, advise, and help in the overall growth of his local community makes him proud of who he is today.