Zainab Fahim, a first-year undergraduate student from the University of Westminster Software Engineering BEng Honours course, was chosen to be part of the Major League Hacking (MLH) list of Top 50 Hackers of 2022. MLH is the official student hackathon league that empowers hackers and helps early career technologists acquire useful skills to succeed.
Zainab joined MLH’s discord which supported her growth on many levels, as she puts it: “MLH holds a special place in my heart, because of the respectful, encouraging, safe and thriving community which helps one grow in tech and as a person, and I couldn't be happier to be part of the MLH Top 50 class of 2022!”
Zainab was born and raised in Panadura, a small town in Sri Lanka. From a young age, she decided to follow her parents' path and study Medicine. Even though she was working hard to reach her goals she remembers it as the hardest time in her life when she felt lost and depressed. When it was time to choose her major, she decided to study Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with English and Arabic.
Zainab believes that even though these subjects do not seem to be matching at first glance, she found a lot of similarities, harmony and beauty in them. She was always told that ICT is not a suitable field for women but this did not stop her to pursue her goals. Coding and languages brought order and structure into her life. She found passion in building through codes and words, making things come alive.
Her love for coding started in 2019 when she was still in college. She took part in an inter-school hackathon, taking the chance to address concerning issues, including mental health, unemployment and poverty. Last year she started her first year of undergraduate degree in Software Engineering at the University of Westminster, while also joining the University’s Careers and Employability Service.
“The Westminster Career and Employability Service has always encouraged me to take part in additional activities outside the curriculum. So right after the semester ended, I registered myself for many Hackathons, and soon it became a means to connect and grow not only in terms of career, but also interpersonal, communication and networking skills,” she said.
Learn more about the Software Engineering BEng Honours course at the University of Westminster.
