Ahoy! I'm Mat,
(:places)
an aspiring engineer focused on open protocols, automation, and rapid prototyping.
a lil’ :about me
A decade of technical experience has shaped me into an indie maker who builds engaging, accessible, and secure toolsI see my projects as tools meant to serve, not products to exploit. I prefer to use tools which align with this.1 for real people. I am especially passionate about search UX, crafting interfaces with the real world, and decentralized infrastructure.
Outside of computing, I’m also a guitarist, competition aficionado, and linguaphileI speak and (sometimes) understand English, Spanish, and Esperanto so far2.
what i’m up to :now
Recently, I’ve been shipping, (expand for stats!) but also:
- reverse-engineering electric and bass guitar amplifiers to build:
- maintainingI’ve also contributed code to systems (such as Hackatime, Revoker, & site), and reported data leaks through the security program.[^3] Hack Club tools such as Slacker News, the #ship channel (30k+ members), and technical support systems for new hackers & YSWS participants.
formative :experiences
Since being exposed to computer programming on Scratch a decade ago, I’ve:
- built a life-sized board game using industrial tech which supports community outreach & won:
- 1st in the 2025 PLCNext Innovation Contest Nationals
- 1st at the 2026 Pennsylvania Invention Convention
- a Hack Club X Congressional App Challenge Open-source Certification
- made videogame submissions within 48hrs-2wks for ~7 game jams
- run AV systems (livestreams and sound mixers) for funerals and weddings
- discovered and disclosed vulnerabilities / data leaks within my school and Hack Club
-
been recognized in other ways (not that interesting)
- participated in the selective PennApps XXVI college [hackathon](https://pennapps.com)
- received recognition for Integrity and Sportsmanship within academics and competitions.
- earned ~$1k in grants and prizes for personal projects submitted to Hack Club programs incl. High Seas, Summer of Making, CMD-K, and Magazine.
I recommend (not biased at all) that you check out…
…some initiatives & projects I’ve worked on independently or with competition teams, (all)
MiniMentor
Sep 2025- Sep 2025Micromentorship platform for connecting learners and mentors through personalized, skill-building lessons.
Big O's Loop Lab
Aug 2025- Aug 2025A programming-simulator puzzle game where you create programs with loops, recursive algorithms,
Regreso
Nov 2024- Jul 2025Open-source tool for creating, finding, and managing links, files, and resources you want to return to later.
Operation: Falcon Nation
Dec 2024- Apr 2025Industrial-tech-automated life-sized board game built for philanthropic outreach and competition(s).
Harmonic Heights
Aug 2024- Aug 2024A rhythm game centered around building using chord progressions, scales, and simple song arrangements.
…my various roles and responsibilities at Hack Club,
Fraud Squad
Jun 2026- nowMember and analyst for the selective internal team responsible for preventing thousands of dollars in distributed organizational losses
Draw a Dino
Apr 2026- now
Slacker News
Apr 2026- nowLead technical maintainer of Slacker News, Hack Club's official newpaper, and rewrote a Jekyll blog into a platform using Astro, Payload CMS, and OIDC.
…and some thoughts I’ve had or shared, (all)
Responses and Follow-ups
04-29-2026
As of today, Slacker News lets stories be marked as followups or responses to other stories, making the paper the conversation it is meant to be.
Keep reading...
thank you for reading to the end of my little page! i’m guessing that probably means you like interesting things, so have this mysterious as a token of my gratitude :D
