2026 HackBAC Geniuses

Track 1: Bail Reform & Pre Trial Justice

The Robin Steinberg Group

Mentor: Iman

Junior Mentor: Manassa

Track 2: Breaking the School-to-Prison Pipeline

The Dr. Monique Couvson Group

Mentor: Chris

Junior Mentor:Justin

Track 3: Equal Access to Legal Defense

FIRST PLACE WINNERS

The Bryan Stevenson Group

Mentor: Sheikh

Junior Mentor: Luke

Track 4: Building Pathways to Legal Careers for Black and Brown Communities

The Constance Baker Motley Group

Mentor: Manny

Junior Mentor: Becca

Track 5: Restorative Justice and Rehabilitation

The Fania Davis Group

Mentor: Danean

Junior Mentor: Annalisa

Track 6: Life After Incarceration: Reintegration and Rights

The Desmond Meade Group

Mentor: James

Junior Mentor: Zaylin

Track: Education | First Place

Mentor: Danean H.

DiscoverU is a career exploration app that bridges experiential learning through technology and accessible career guidance. DiscoverU empowers secondary and post-secondary students to discover their passions and make informed decisions about their futures. Through an interactive platform, students choose between tutorial-based exploration or immersive "track" gameplay featuring mini-games that simulate real-world career scenarios with realistic consequences. By engaging with diverse career possibilities—including pathways that don't require college—players build self-awareness about their skills and interests to confidently navigate their next steps.

Track: Food Security | Second Place

Mentor: Meqai

Fresh Futures is a nonprofit organization that leverages AI-powered agricultural technology and community food security. Fresh Futures empowers low-income and underserved communities to build self-sustaining gardens through optimized gardening resources and guidance. Through an online garden supply shop, individual gardeners—both experienced and aspiring—can easily find and purchase supplies while supporting the mission. By reinvesting all revenue into providing supplies and funding for underserved communities, Fresh Futures creates a sustainable cycle where every purchase directly enables another community to grow their own food and achieve greater food independence.

Track: Gender Equality and Inclusion | Third Place

Mentor: Manny

Elevate works to amplify women’s athletics to mitigate gender disparities in sports by boosting visibility, placing women athletes with mentors, and bringing awareness to the gender pay gap.

Track: Health & Wellness

Mentor: Sheikh

MindSpace is a mental health education platform that leverages curriculum-based learning and data-driven counselor collaboration. MindSpace empowers teenagers to take charge of their mental health by increasing accessibility to treatment, information, and human connection—addressing the alarming reality that 1 in 5 teens experience a major depressive episode before age 17, with 70% of cases going unnoticed. Through a customizable website-based curriculum, students engage with mental health resources while an integrated system identifies at-risk students and facilitates referrals to school counselors, ensuring no student faces mental health challenges alone.

Track: Accessibility

Mentor: Sabrina

Xero Noise is an assistive technology product that combines noise-canceling audio and direct teacher communication. Xero Noise empowers students with learning disabilities and sensory processing disorders to focus and engage in classroom environments—addressing the reality that 15% of public school students receive special education services, with 33% of those with learning disabilities also experiencing sensory issues. Through affordable noise-canceling headphones paired with a small Bluetooth microphone worn by teachers, students can filter out classroom distractions while clearly hearing instruction. By offering flexible purchasing options for schools, Xero Noise provides an accessible accommodation that helps students thrive in learning environments that were previously overwhelming.

Track: Climate and Sustainability

Mentor: James

ReelzAir is a sustainable air purification initiative that merges environmental recycling and public health intervention. ReelzAir empowers underserved communities in the Bronx to breathe cleaner air by transforming local waste into life-saving technology—addressing the crisis where nearly 40% of adults and 25% of children aged 5-17 face asthma-related hospitalizations. Through a circular process that collects recycled materials from Bronx buildings, converts them into 3D-printed filament, and manufactures air purifiers with built-in air quality monitors, ReelzAir simultaneously cleans neighborhood waste and creates affordable purifiers for low-income housing and schools. By tackling the 3 million annual indoor air pollution deaths in the U.S. starting with the Bronx, ReelzAir ensures that both students and adults can breathe easy while building a sustainable model for environmental and health justice.