More than 100 Brooklyn teens came together on Oct. 4 for Digital Girl, Inc.’s 2025 Hackathon, held at the Major R. Owens Community Center in Crown Heights.
The full-day event, organized in conjunction with the 2025 Congressional App Challenge, encouraged students to explore STEM education and app development while building tech-driven solutions for their communities.
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke attended the event, meeting with student participants and celebrating their creativity and innovation.
"As a longtime advocate for students within Brooklyn and across America to receive strong STEM educations, I’ll always celebrate the Hackathon as a special opportunity for our most dedicated young people to push their skills to their limits, think outside the box, and create something truly inspiring that can make waves in the digital age," Clarke said in a statement. "The more than 100 teens who participated today not only gave an impressive demonstration of what we can expect to see in the final stretch of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge, but they also proved exactly what Brooklyn’s best and brightest can achieve when they put their talents towards a purpose."
Throughout the day, middle and high school students worked in teams with educators and mentors to design apps aligned with this year’s Hackathon theme, Community Builds. The challenge encouraged young innovators to create tools that could positively impact their neighborhoods and improve everyday life for local residents.
"Hackathon 2025 gave our students the chance to learn and see themselves as future innovators," said Toni Robinson, president of Digital Girl, Inc.'s Board of Directors.
Students were also treated to a surprise, as each participant received a free refurbished laptop, donated through a partnership between AT&T and Human-IT. In addition to the laptops, AT&T supported the event with a $25,000 contribution to Digital Girl, Inc., furthering its mission to close the digital divide and expand access to technology in underserved communities.
Participants also had the chance to experience cutting-edge public safety technology from FirstNet, Built with AT&T, a nationwide broadband platform dedicated to first responders. Attendees explored drones, connected vehicles and even AT&T’s robotic dog, all designed to assist emergency response teams during crises and natural disasters.
“Access to connectivity, devices and digital education is vital so that kids can take full advantage of technology and put their imaginations to work,” said John Emra, president of AT&T's Atlantic Region.
