TeenHacks LI

Esandi Perera, Co-Executive
Director

Esandi Perera is a passionate STEM student and current sophomore at Waldorf of Garden City. She loves learning new programming languages and creating projects regarding genetic research. She is currently doing research at the American Museum of Natural History on molecular genetics and its intersection with data analysis. When she first got involved with TeenHacks LI she enjoyed the friendly coder environment and collaborating with new people on different projects. As executive director she hopes to give the THLI participants an amazing hacker experience and stimulate conversation within the tech community. To add on, she wants to encourage girls to participate in computer science and STEAM while creating an empowering environment. She also has a strong love of music and plays multiple instruments. These passions drove her to further become involved in the team and now hopes to open doors to unprivileged students through STEM and music. In her free time she enjoys educating herself with literature such as Women, Race, & Class by Angela Y. Davis, Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, and more. Esandi also loves watching Criminal Minds and spending time with her family and friends.

Michael Batavia, Co-Executive Director

Michael is currently a senior at the Bronx High School of Science and is dedicated to lead and grow TeenHacks LI into the most well-known hackathon in the tri-state area. While leading the committees of the hackathon, he tinkers with the applications of artificial intelligence in various medical fields and makes practical apps to publish for the App Store. Consequently, he is interested in making his own start-up in the near future in order to intersect the roles of app development, artificial intelligence and biochemistry to automate the less efficient tasks and make them more available to help patients nationwide. In order to practice future leadership, he is currently the editor-in-chief of Reactions, Bronx Science’s physical science publication and the president of the school’s unique machine learning club. When he is not working, he competitively runs, hikes with his family, travels the East Coast and self-studies Russian.

Alice Chen, Director of
Finance

Alice is currently a senior at Jericho High School. From self-studying programming languages since middle school and applying these skills in research, to having more unconventional fun with science in SciOly and at hackathons, Alice has indulged in STEM for as long as she can remember. In her free time, she is usually found reading, napping, or taking her dog on a bike ride. As Director of Finance, Alice hopes to expand TeenHacks LI’s ability to provide fun learning resources and experiences to other high schoolers from across the northeast.

Alice Liu, Director of Marketing and Graphics

Alice is a senior at Great Neck North High School. Whether it's painting with acrylics or coding creatively, she loves making art. She is also interested in topics such as cybersecurity and machine learning. In the future, she wants to explore the intersection of art and computer science. When she isn't working, she can be found playing video games, browsing TikToks, or texting people. She hopes that through TeenHacks LI, more students will be able to develop their passions and create something meaningful. As the Director of Marketing, Alice seeks to broaden the reach of TeenHacks LI and continue to expand its mission..

Allison He, Director of
Logistics

Allison is a senior at Bronx Science of High School and is passionate about STEM. Both in and out of school, she is eager to explore coding and learn technical skills. Being on an all-girls robotics team (FeMaidens) led her to attend TeenHacks LI and continue to learn coding through Girls Who Code. Her focus is on enpowering young women to delve into the world of programming and encouraging more female participants to join. She hopes to create a better experience for those who attend TeenHacks LI and implement new systems to ensure the event runs smoothly. In her free time, she likes to play badminton, read the news, and continue to learn coding.

David Wang, Co-Director of
Press Relations

David Wang is a junior at Great Neck South High School who has a passion for coding and writing. As a Press and Media Relations Coordinator, he hopes to bring together the best of both worlds. An attendee of TeenHacks’ Fall 2019 hackathon, he is excited to be a part of the organization.

Isabella Panag, Co-Director of
Campus Ambassadors

Isabella is a sophomore at Mount Sinai High School. She has been organizing for TeenHacksLI since their Fall 2019 event. After the campus ambassador program expanded, she was promoted to Campus Ambassador Director. Isabella now works with a large team of campus ambassadors that help TeenHacksLI grow even further. Their collaborative work strengthens the core of TeenHacksLI.

Rachel Woo, Co-Director of
Campus Ambassadors

My name is Rachel Woo and I am currently a freshman at Great Neck South High School. I am very passionate about computer sciences as well as STEM. During my free time, I like to work on different coding projects, play field hockey and research more about new technological developments. Attending the past two hackathons has inspired me to spread the CS community and influence more people to become involved with new innovations that can impact our futures. I hope to encourage more students in all different grades to immerse themselves with STEM activities and, as a director, enhance the hackathon experience.

Sanaalee Troupe, Director of Programming

Sanaalee Troupe is a junior at the Waldorf School of Garden City, who’s aim is to provide underrepresented and underprivileged students with the platform to amplify their voices within the STEAM and environment field through education and awareness. Sanaalee currently develops research reports on the intersections of computer science and environmental science and works on analyzing how artificial intelligence can dismantle climate gentrification. She also tutors younger students about environmental science and scratch. Outside of these fields, Sanaalee plays competitive golf, enjoys hiking with her family, reading russian literature, speaking with her COI family, exploring NYC, and having picnics on the beach with friends.

Yi Ling Wu, Co-Director of
Press Relations

Yi Ling is a senior at Stuyvesant High School. After her first Intro to CS class, she found herself wanting to learn more about programming and explore the different applications of CS. Since then, she’s fallen in love with this community of makers. She has met many inspiring females in her school’s Girls Who Code club who actively encouraged her to pursue her interest in CS and now she wants to create an environment where others can find their place within tech as well. When she’s not working, you can usually catch her playing handball or exploring different restaurants. As a Public Relations Director, she wants to spread the word about TeenHacksLI so other students can learn from mentors and have an amazing experience.