During a three-day event from January 14 to 16, eighth-grader Norah Y. and her team earned second place at the second annual HackBAC, an online social justice hackathon organized by the Black Alumni Collective at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. The theme of this year's event was "Creating More Racially Integrated and Equitable Experiences in Independent Schools that Promote Safety, Trust, Wellness, and Belonging." Norah and her teammates pitched an app named "Cultured," created to support students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The app was designed to offer a safe space for members of independent school communities to educate others and communicate about their cultures.

Norah and her teammates from other local area schools will receive $1,000 to launch their app. This year, forty students on eight teams across North America participated in the hackathon, and Norah's is the first winning team to include eighth-grade students!