Skyler Basco

Today Skyler Basco is an established hacker, but she had a difficult entry into computer science. Her first hackathon, TeenHacks LI, in the fall of 2019, was her first time writing code. She was using HTML and enjoyed learning it, but the frustration of her “hunt and peck” style of typing drove her away from coding for two years. When she circled back to it in the summer before her first year of college, she had a burning desire to learn computer science. Hacking is all about problem-solving, and like a true hacker, Skyler figured out how to solve her problem—she mastered touch typing and unlocked her potential.

With computer science now her major and her goals becoming clearer, she jumped back into hackathons wholeheartedly. In the fall of 2021, at the Youthopeian Hackathon, she saw the dynamic interactions and exciting projects that make hackathons so rewarding. Her partner specialized in backend design, while Skyler brought frontend and UX design talents, showcasing how much they could learn from each other.

In only her third hackathon, the QImpacts! Hackathon, she won first place. Her project Unicorn Stack brought in elements of financial literacy and game design to create a winning hack. This victory inspired her to learn as much as possible about computer science and to relay her knowledge to inspire other hackers. It was, she says, “a huge shift in my personal life: a shift that inspired me to build, learn, and share with others.” Today, she presents online workshops at hackathons worldwide, spreading her wealth of wisdom to countless coders.

Her actions didn’t go unnoticed. In January of 2022, she did her first software engineering internship at Bitly. In that role, she and other interns focused on making Bitly’s API more user-friendly. The team worked from all sides to solve problems, with Skyler focused on the Bitly API request page. She said, “A top highlight was sharing my UI Design knowledge with both my fellow interns and mentors.” As part of the planning process, Skyler gave the team a crash course in Figma, allowing them to visualize their features and create prototypes. The way the team worked together amazed Skyler, and she realized that in technology, everyone has strengths that can fit into different projects.

She has reflected on the “why” of computer science, wondering about the motivations of people who code. Her reason is the inclusion of underrepresented hackers. Growing up in suburban New York, she saw an absence of opportunities for women of color to pursue STEM-related fields. After her Bitly internship, she saw the potential to help hackers like herself. As she says, “This life-changing experience helped me feel more connected to the perspectives of underrepresented students and other newcomers in tech. I wanted these individuals (who were just like me when I first started coding!) to feel welcomed to the tech industry, encouraged to build cool innovations, and mentor other aspiring technologists in the process.” Mentoring has become her priority and she strives to help people of color, especially women, meet their goals in STEM and computer science.

Part of this process is joining organizations and hackathons so she can meet and interact with various hackers. In addition to participating in MLH events, she is a part of Girls Who Code, Rewriting the Code, and Break Through Tech, all organizations that she says “welcomed me with open arms when I first pivoted into the tech industry.” She also has a YouTubechannel to share her experiences as an SWE intern, create tech content, and “further leverage technology as a tool for change.”

Skyler is full of energy (she can rap the fastest verse of Eminem’s “Rap God” at 110% speed) and dedication to the hacker community. Her skills, desire to share knowledge, and refusal to give up on herself and others make her one of the MLH Top 50.