Cascade was a two-day dinner and hackathon organized through Hack Club’s Athena Program, built to empower high school girls in Metro Atlanta to explore tech through hands-on workshops, mentorship, and community.
Held at Soccer in the Streets HQ on April 11–12, 2025, Cascade combined real-world skill-building with a welcoming, beginner-friendly environment.
Our goal was to create a space where high school girls — many coding for the first time — could build confidence in tech through approachable workshops, collaborative projects, and authentic conversations with women in leadership.
Event Lead: Sophia Wang
Workshop Lead: Thanishkka Vijayabaskar, Celeste Roselli
Website Lead: Celeste Roselli, Thanishkka Vijayabaskar
Marketing Lead: Mei Ying Tham
Logistics Lead: Hannah Lang
Decor/Merch Lead: Sarah Ngai
Dinner Lead: Hannah Sundar
Friday, April 11th
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 6:00 PM | Dinner + Meet & Greet |
| 7:00 PM | Speaker Panel: Women in STEM |
| 8:00 PM | Networking + Games |
Saturday, April 12th
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Check-In & Breakfast |
| 9:30 AM | Opening Ceremony |
| 10:00 AM | Workshop: Web Development with HTML and CSS (Boba Drops!) |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch + Fun Games |
| 1:00 PM | Workshop: Audio Engineering With Python |
| 3:00 PM | Open Hacking + Mentorship |
| 4:30 PM | Project Showcase |
| 5:00 PM | Closing Ceremony + Swag |
| Item | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Venue | ~$800 |
| Food and Drinks (Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Boba) | ~$1,500 |
| Swag (T-Shirts, Stickers) | ~$750 |
| Supplies and Event Materials | ~$400 |
| Transportation (Flights, Rideshares) | ~$1,200 |
| Total Estimated Cost | ~$5,000 |
Total Estimated Cost: ~$5,000
Cascade kicked off with a Friday night dinner at Soccer in the Streets HQ, where students, speakers, and organizers came together for a night of great food, inspiring conversation, and new friendships. The speaker panel featured women leaders in tech and business who shared honest stories about their paths, challenges, and victories in STEM. It was the perfect spark to fuel the next day’s creativity. View our dinner guide here
Saturday was a full day of hands-on workshops, open hacking, and joyful collaboration:
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Audio Engineering With Python: Attendees learned how to use keyboard keys to play notes and create their own songs!
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Build Your First Website: Attendees created their first personal about me websites using HTML and CSS and submitted for Boba later in the day.
Throughout the day, the vibe stayed high with music, stickers, boba tea, and tons of mentorship. Teams and individuals built projects ranging from custom websites to cool digital music.
We wrapped up with a project showcase where every participant presented their work — no matter how big or small — and left with new skills, new friends, and a deeper belief in their potential.
Cascade wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from Hack Club, the Athena team, our volunteers, Soccer in the Streets HQ, and, most importantly, every student who showed up ready to learn, build, and dream big.
View some more of our awesome images → Learn more about Hack Club Athena →