2026 High School
Code Conquest Hackathon
A celebration of learners, mentors, coaches, and the builders of tomorrow
Special Announcement
From Dev — A message to celebrate today's honorees and inspire our community
kidOYO Certified Mentor Program
11+ Years Strong · $100,000 Annual Award Fund
11+
Years of the
Program
$100K
Annual
Awards
100%
Volunteer
Mentors
Our indie non-profit funds this program each year, recognizing mentors who volunteer their time and earn awards based on their meaningful contributions to learners. All of this is made possible by a community that believes in the power of people teaching people.
Ethan Stern
POB · HS Student · kidOYO Certified Mentor
Ethan Stern
POB · High School Student · kidOYO Certified Mentor
In the 11+ year history of the kidOYO Certified Mentor Program, only a handful of students have ever earned a mentor award while still enrolled as a high school student. Today, right here in this room, we are proud to celebrate Ethan Stern as our 2nd official student-mentor award earner — recognized for his remarkable contributions to learners.
"Ethan will be honored with his own graduating class at POB, but we wanted to make a special announcement in celebration of his efforts, and look forward to seeing where he goes next — hopefully we can keep him as a mentor for a little while longer!? 😊"
— Dev
Graduating from POB · Future builder · Perpetual learner -> View Graduate Portrait
Human Intelligence is the Differentiator
Functional literacy, self-led growth, and AI
Much is made of vibe coding, and AI isolating security holes, or contributing discoveries autonomously within systems and data-driven research — but remember: it is only the people who are actually literate in this area that will ever really know that, because they can see it, and audit it.
See It
Literacy means you can observe, understand, and recognize what AI is actually doing.
Audit It
Only truly literate builders can verify, challenge, and improve AI outputs.
Lead It
Human intelligence derives the benefit. Your self-led use of AI is your greatest edge.
The self-led nature of your engagement with technology will remain the greatest differentiator among people. Stay hungry, push yourself toward your interests, and as Steve Jobs once agreed —
"Here's to the crazy ones."
The entrepreneurial leaders who will create the future. The ones who see the world differently, who push forward, who stay hungry — and who build what others only imagine.
Congratulations to all participants today
Your presence here is proof of your commitment. Keep building, keep learning, keep owning your root.
Indie Non-Profit · Certified Mentor Program · Est. 11+ Years