Georgetown students win at Hoya Hacks Hackathon 2025

Posted in News Story
Hoya Hacks, Georgetown’s annual hackathon, organized by the Department of Computer Science and sponsored by Microsoft, brought together more than 250 students from over 40 colleges and universities. This year’s event, held from January 23–25, showcased a diverse range of projects using technology and AI to address pressing societal issues.
Students developed impactful solutions in sustainability, healthcare, and social reform. Some notable projects included an app mapping food deserts to fight insecurity and a college thrift store promoting sustainability.
Karina Munjal, Third-Year Student Organizer, CAS ’25 noted, “I’ve never seen such a large turnout. It’s so exciting that the event has returned to pre-pandemic participation levels. The talent and expertise displayed by the participants was beyond impressive, particularly from the high school students! It is, each year, a joy to witness the creativity and innovation capacity of these students.”
The top prize went to Pi-Pal, an AI-powered interface enabling impaired patients to control their hospital environment through voice, hand gestures, and facial recognition. Judges were impressed by the seamless integration of technology and the project’s potential to transform patient care. The second-place team created an ICE raid predictor tool, allowing users to report and anticipate immigration enforcement activities, a project reflecting a strong commitment to social reform.
First-year organizer Menal Qureshi (CAS ’28) also commented, “It was just such a cool process to be a part of. From being able to contribute to developing the event with Joshua and the rest of the HoyaHacks team, who put endless work into the Hackathon, to experiencing those efforts come to life in the HFSC, it was amazing to see the event serve as a platform for true innovation and collaboration by addressing prominent issues in the technological space. Seeing the dedication of the students, hearing the deliberations of the judges, and looking at the joy of the winners encouraged me to continue to pursue my passions in this space and reminded me of the beauty of technological ingenuity.”
Check out all projects presented by the participating teams in the Project Gallery.