Mariia Bohachenko

My name is Mariia Bohachenko and I am a youth activist with a passion for IT and entrepreneurship. Before the full-scale invasion I was a regular teenager with no clear vision of my future, but the events of 2022 forced significant changes in our mindsets. This period of self-discovery led me to become founder of the first community youth center “Prostir Dumok”, winner of two grant competitions, launcher of the program “SviTY” with charitable foundation “Kids of Ukraine” focused on mental health support for war-affected youth, implementor of two grant projects and 70+ events, uniting over 1,000 people into the “Prostir Dumok” community, tutor-volunteer of mathematics and Ukrainian for war-affected middle schoolers for 100+ hours, and president of my Lyceum. Community service made me realise I want to create lasting impact by combining soft skills and academic knowledge. I have always loved logic in mathematics, won regional math olympiads and associated myself with precision. Social activism opened a world of networking. I joined “Code for Ukraine”, coded my first game in Python, developed the “Zbir.Ok” app using React Native, mastered JavaScript, TypeScript, GitHub and human-centred design from Stanford and Columbia alumni. Applying this knowledge, I became a finalist of the Ukrainian National Team Programming Tournament among 280+ teams, coding an inclusive online studying platform as a full stack developer. Along the way I mastered soft and hard skills, so I turned to entrepreneurship. I joined “LaunchX Online Bootcamp” and launched my first startup “EcologicalCoffee” to help businesses track eco-friendliness through an integrated app. The startup won the all-Ukrainian “Movement towards Circularity” and reached the International stage in Italy. Each project I lead, from coding inclusive platforms to building a youth center, reflects my belief that skills are only valuable when they create tangible change for people with limited opportunities.