This is a submission for the World's Largest Hackathon Writing Challenge: After the Hack.
The Search for Direction:
I've always been an A student... the kind who understood lessons quickly and delivered exactly what teachers wanted. I knew that after 1st grade came 2nd grade, then 3rd grade, and so on. But what happens after graduation? That question haunted me.
Despite learning to code and earning a degree in Health Sciences, I found myself stuck in a frustrating cycle. Tech companies wanted either fresh college graduates or seasoned professionals with years of experience. I was neither. I worked in healthcare briefly, leveraged my Studio Art minor for graphic design, but the landscape kept shifting beneath my feet. What once required specialized skills was becoming accessible to everyone through user-friendly tools.
Then AI arrived, and everything changed again.
Discovering Bolt:
A New HopeMy husband and I developed a morning routine: sending the kids off to school, then settling on the couch with our coffee mugs to watch YouTube videos about emerging AI technologies. One tool that caught our attention was Bolt. Watching it generate functional code in real-time was mesmerizing and slightly devastating. All those hours I'd spent learning to code manually seemed suddenly obsolete.
While others around us politely nodded when we shared our excitement about AI development tools, I could tell they weren't as captivated. Maybe because they weren't in the tech field. Maybe they were too expert and saw flaws I was missing, like the mediocre output I'd witnessed from Adobe's Firefly AI video generation compared to Runway.
The turning point came when my husband suggested I participate in creating Bolt's hackathon landing page after we watched an episode. My initial hesitation stemmed from needing to reactivate dormant social media accounts... Twitter had been silent for years, my YouTube channel hadn't seen activity since high school/college years... However, the prospect of winning Bolt merchandise eventually convinced me to dive in and try my hands on their hackathon... and later i found that the prize pool was much bigger than just Bolt merch.
The Mentor Application:
During one of Bolt's livestreams with Contra, I discovered their mentor application program. Despite feeling unqualified, "I'm not a coding expert," I told my husband, but he encouraged me with simple wisdom: "Let them decide. You don't need to be a coding expert. You just need to be a Bolt expert."
The application process became my first lesson in perseverance. Recording a five-minute Loom video turned into a comedy of errors. My first attempt ran 50 minutes. I must have created over 20 versions, troubleshooting technical issues while the deadline approached. When I finally submitted a video that was at least under five minutes... not polished, just "it is what it is," I felt victorious simply for making the deadline.
The rejection stung, but it redirected my energy toward something more valuable: building.
Building Community, One Meetup at a Time:
If I couldn't be an official mentor, I could still contribute by organizing local meetups. I became a marketing machine, telling other parents at my kid's birthday parties, posting in local Facebook groups (and actually getting good traction until the moderators shut me down for posting twice in a month... such a dumb rule), and spreading the word wherever possible, like at my kid's birthday parties. My husband joked, "Were you a drug dealer in your past life? Because you were really selling!" I guess it's a side he's never seen before. He told me that he's now curious how I'd do in sales. I didn't even feel like I was selling, I was just excited about Bolt and the hackathon!
I held two pre-hackathon meetups, excited to build a local team. Reality proved different. Parents wanted me to teach their children, not themselves 😑 (I'm a FIRST Lego "Robotics" League co-coach). Others were interested in having their names attached to projects without contributing effort, just their tokens. The friends who did show up were polite but honest. A month-long commitment felt overwhelming on top of their existing responsibilities.... and it's extra work they're not getting paid to do.
But persistence paid off. I kept holding IRL meetups. I met Nate, a young developer who actually understood both coding and Bolt. We discussed our projects. He was working on something while preparing to travel to Africa, and my husband and I were developing what would become my "ding" solution. I also connected with Nanda at a DC AI Expo conference, who later provided crucial insights for my makeup platform idea.
The networking was forming.
The Poolside Strategy:
My Pool Side Hackathon Inspiration - YouTube Video
The "ding" idea came during a family pool day. Frustrated with waiting for AI-generated content without notification, I complained to my husband about needing some sort of alert system. The laundry machine makes noise so I can move the wet ones to the dryer. The microwave oven makes noise to tell me my food is ready. We discussed the impracticality of making Bolt again to add a little "ding" in it. We also discussed how embedding Bolt within another frame would be an inconvenience, not a tool.
Then my husband had the game-changing idea while we were meeting with Nate at the Teahouse. Nate coded a mouse pointer color detector, and suddenly my husband had an ah-ha moment and asked Bolt to create a Chrome extension. We'd been so focused on web and mobile apps that we'd forgotten extensions were also code. Suddenly, we had direction.
Murphy's Law Meets Hackathon Deadlines:
Of course, this revelation came at the worst possible time. The kids were finishing their last week of school with awards ceremonies and graduation events, and we had a week-long camping trip planned right in the middle of the hackathon. No comfortable desk setup, no dual monitors, no livestreams to participate in... just a tiny laptop and the persistent reminder: "hackathon, hackathon, hackathon."
Returning from vacation with minimal progress, I entered crisis mode. We prompted and reprompted, consulting ChatGPT, Gemini, Bolt, and Claude as we tested and retested to make sure our code was working. Just when we thought we'd solved one issue, another would break. The personal custom uploaded sounds worked in some environments but not others. I learned the hard way about open-source responsibilities. I would need to review and approve other people's code, something I was completely unprepared for as someone who had "vibe coded" everything.
Many features I'd envisioned for version 1.0 got pushed to 2.0. The goal shifted from perfect to "good enough to submit on time."
The Final Sprint:
On the second-to-last day, I made a crucial decision: to stop Bolting and focus on creating a compelling submission video. I knew nothing about video production, so I turned to ChatGPT for a script. Recording felt awkward with my kids watching, and I struggled with the self-consciousness of talking to my phone.
The final day brought chaos. Last-minute website checks revealed more bugs. I'd recently cancelled Adobe but desperately needed design tools, so I learned Inkscape and CapCut in real-time. My Loom account had hit limits, preventing video downloads. I cobbled together a solution using Windows+G screen recording, my phone camera, and creative editing.
In the middle of this madness, I received a call about a cashier/admin position I'd applied for a month earlier. During the interview, I apparently spent a good portion of the time talking about the hackathon and encouraging them to try one themselves. My husband overheard and found it hilarious.
An hour and a half before submission, HR called to offer me the job, talking for 20 minutes about next steps while I mentally screamed about my approaching deadline. I guess they liked my hackathon enthusiasm! Anyway, then my C drive filled up, everything started lagging, and I raced to upload my YouTube video before the system crashed.
I submitted with 15 minutes to spare.
My Hackathon Video Submission - YouTube Video
The Aftermath and Reflection:
The day after the Bolt hackathon... just rambling... - YouTube Video
After submission, anxiety set in. They said I couldn't touch the code, so I spent time refining YouTube descriptions, hashtags, and thumbnails, learning about the psychology behind viral content, and considering ways to market my product. When I got tagged on Instagram and X, I did my duty, "like, comment, share," supporting the community that had supported me. I understand that when something becomes popular, everyone wants it and also wants to be a part of it. That's why I know to show up and support the companies I like. I'm one extra person to help make a product seem more likable and valuable ;)
Then I saw a post by Greg Isenberg (one of the judges!) titled "HOW TO BUILD A CHROME EXTENSION BUSINESS WITH AI (my workflow)." Reading it gave me chills. He was describing essentially what I'd built for the hackathon. When I noticed his ideabrowser.com link was broken and replied to his post on X about it, he responded directly. I was starstruck. Someone like him responded to a meaningless little person like me? The little things matter when you're used to feeling invisible... but hey, maybe it wasn't him and it was his assistant! Who knows.
This interaction filled me with both anxiety and hope. With 10,000+ submissions competing for 33 prizes, mostly from experienced developers, what chance did someone who "vibe coded" their way through have? I already decided not to go after the bigger prizes, thinking that and went straight to aiming for the bonus ones....
But then as I was flipping through some of the YouTube videos I had posted nearly 20 years ago (when Youtube was brand new), I saw my softball coach in one of them. I remembered his words that had stuck with me, "Cristina! Why are you playing like a scared rabbit!" It was when we played the New York City Championships, I felt validated that I do not need to be scared because I'm actually pretty good. Completing this hackathon validated my capability to play in the same ball park with people who actually know how to code. I realized I've been playing scared... again! Thinking small of myself in this competition, but also in the game of LIFE... chasing traditional employment when I have the freedom to create my own path.
That evening, I went out to dinner with a friend who has a real job. She told me how she wishes she were in my shoes. When she found out about me getting this new admin/cashier job, she responded frustrated, "WHY!!! This is nothing that you like doing! You're creative! Go make something, go invent some shit!"
The Real Product:
Through this journey, I discovered that my hackathon project wasn't my real product. I was. The Chrome extension demonstrated my capability, drive, and ability to perform under pressure. It showed that even as a stay-at-home mom, I have more to offer than "chillin at home, doing loads of laundry and wasting my potential."
With so many tools making it easy to build fast, I now realize that distribution is the next critical step. Projects will keep getting shipped at lightning "Bolt" speed, but only a few will get seen. The real opportunity isn't in building more... it's in learning how to distribute what I've already made. More importantly, I've realized that it is not though AI-generated content, but REAL people whose opinions are trustworthy. The product I need to learn to put out in the market currently... is me.
My hackathon project wasn't about shipping a feature; it was about proving I belong in the room. I knew I didn’t stand a chance against developers who had years of experience and formal backgrounds, but I still showed up. I competed because I wanted to be on the same field.
Even if I don’t win anything, I’ve already gained something priceless: proof that I’m underselling myself. I built, shipped, learned, connected, and kept going. That’s value. That’s traction. And now, I need to learn how to share it.
What's Next:
This hackathon taught me that building is more important than competing. Whether I win or lose, I've gained invaluable experience in community building, rapid prototyping, and pushing through obstacles. I've learned to leverage AI tools not as a replacement for creativity, but as amplifiers of it.
Yes, I accepted the admin/cashier position starting in August, not because we're struggling financially (my husband supports us well), but because I need to prove to myself that I'm contributing to society. Even though he says it's "our" money, I feel guilty spending what he earns. I don't want to be seen as someone who's "just chillin' at home" or "wasting my potential," or "living off my spouse." I want to show that being a stay-at-home mom doesn't mean I've lost my drive or capability. I craved to work in a team environment, and this hackathon gave me the adult "outlet" I needed when I showed up (to livestreams and IRL to support the Bolt team). This was pretty much "First Lego League" that I co-coach, but for grown-ups.
This hackathon has ignited something bigger. I've submitted my Chrome extension to the chrome extension store for review (fingers crossed it gets accepted without needing code changes during the month-long judging period), my YouTube channel is active again, and I've begun to create content. I'm no longer playing a scared rabbit. The real shift is in my approach: I'm making myself the brand. I'm showcasing what I can do, my ability to learn fast, solve problems creatively, and build communities.
Who knows? Maybe someone will see my hackathon project, my community building efforts, or my ability to go from zero to Chrome extension in a month, and think "That's exactly the kind of person we need for our tech projects." They'll watch my YouTube videos and say, "She can speak English, she's relatable, she's real, she can tell a story, and that's what we need!" Maybe they'll offer me the WFH tech role I've been dreaming of, and I can leave that admin/cashier position behind before I even start.
The real victory isn't in winning prizes; it's in discovering that the person who always needed direction can create her own path. From someone who wanted to be told what to do, I've become someone who identifies problems and builds solutions IRL for real situations other than for myself and my family (someone who brings real value to many people!). Also, I'm not afraid to put myself out there, guilt and all #justdoit All it took was one Bolt Hackathon YouTube submission!
That transformation is worth more than any badge or monetary prize. Although I wouldn't mind winning one of those too, especially if it helps someone notice what I'm capable of.... and helps me validate my abilities.
Oh, and AI-Ding Chrome Extension? Well, after it gets approved to be in the Chrome extension store, I might begin to promote and talk about it and also continue tinkering with it... version 2.0! I use AI-Ding all the time now, so why not keep improving it? It will encourage me to keep exploring other AI tools as I keep building on it.
If you get a chance, here's my hackathon project AI-Ding.com. I'd love feedback from people that know what they're doing!
Thank you Dev.to for the writing challenge. Pouring my thoughts out like this gave me the clarity I didn’t know I needed.
Update- It's now live at the Chrome Store! What I learned about getting it into the Chrome Store read it here
Top comments (1)
Like the overthinking perfectionist I am, I came back to re-read my entry with fresh eyes and asked myself,
“If she’s done playing scared, then why is she still going after a menial cashier/admin job? Why isn’t she starting her own thing?”
Well, here’s the truth: it took me years to land a job that didn’t instantly reject me for having a 10+ year career gap. Especially here in the DC area, where layoffs in government-related roles have flooded the job market with highly experienced professionals. I’ve been applying for the past two to three years, starting with tech roles like graphic design, only to get pushed further down the ladder with nothing but scams. Maybe I was aiming too high....
But this job? It’s not just any cashier/admin role. It’s with a utility company that offers pension, stability, and (hopefully) flexibility.
according to the hiring managers.
I plan to carve out space to identify problems and build solutions using the scrappy, adaptive skills I’ve gained. Skills from being a mom, a maker, and a first-gen kid from a low-income immigrant household in NYC—like multitasking under pressure, creative problem-solving with limited resources, and communicating across different worlds. These aren’t just life skills—they’re work skills, and I bring them with me to every role I take on. There's a reason why parents line up to have their kids in my Lego team. I only planned to add two more kids—but 20 showed up, and I ended up taking on four extra students. I'm a proud first generation AmeriCAN not an AmeriCAN'T.
I’ve always worked with what I have. This isn’t my finish line. It’s a strategic foothold. It gives me a chance to rebuild my work history, shrink that resume gap, and prove my value in a tangible way. Meanwhile, I’m stacking content again... adding clips to my YouTube channel, and who knows? One day it might earn more than 12 cents (apparently I’ve made money with YouTube before. Thanks, AdSense! Clearly, I missed my calling as a content creator. If only I’d kept it up.)
This is how I build. From the bottom up. Again. The cost of being a Stay-At-Home Parent, but I wouldn't trade watching my children's first steps and first words, seeing them on and off the bus, being present for every school activity I got invited to. But now? I’m ready to build louder.
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