How Filipino Students Built an AI That Gives a Voice to the Deaf Community
🎙️ A Special Spin-Off Episode from the Beyond the Hustle Podcast
Welcome to The Young Hustle: Rising Minds Podcast—a special spin-off series of the Beyond the Hustle Podcast, hosted by Shan Sebastian. While Beyond the Hustle features entrepreneurs, business leaders, and changemakers, Young Hustle shines the spotlight on exceptional students and young innovators who are already creating meaningful impact before they even graduate.
In this special episode, Shan sits down with Maria Bello (3rd Year Software Engineering Student) and Jacob Tarun (4th Year Software Engineering Student), the talented team behind an AI-powered project that can detect and interpret sign language—helping bridge the communication gap for people who are deaf or non-speaking.
Their innovation didn't just stay inside the classroom—it earned them the opportunity to represent the Philippines at the ASEAN AI Junior Hackathon, where they advanced to the Semi-Finals against some of Southeast Asia's brightest young innovators.
In this conversation, you'll discover:
- How they turned an idea into a working AI solution
- The technology behind their sign language recognition system
🇵🇭 What it was like representing the Philippines on the ASEAN stage
- The biggest challenges, failures, and lessons they encountered
- How students can start building impactful projects before graduation
- Why AI should be used to solve real human problems and create more inclusive communities
Whether you're a student, aspiring software engineer, AI enthusiast, entrepreneur, educator, or simply curious about the future of technology, this episode will inspire you to build solutions that make a real difference.
A special thanks to our brand partner, iACADEMY, for empowering the next generation of innovators by providing students with the opportunities, education, and industry exposure to create technology that solves real-world problems.
Visit them www.iacademy.edu.ph for more information about their programs.
If this episode inspired you:
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📤 Share it with someone passionate about AI, technology, or innovation
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with young founders, builders, creators, and future leaders who are proving that impact doesn't have to wait until after graduation.
About Young Hustle: Rising Minds Podcast
Hosted by Shan Sebastian—Founder of SmartiFi, AI Context Engineer, Registered Digital Marketing Consultant, Public Speaker, and Content Creator—The Young Hustle: Rising Minds Podcast is a special spin-off of the Beyond the Hustle Podcast dedicated to featuring students and young professionals who are breaking barriers, building innovative solutions, launching startups, winning competitions, and creating real impact while still in school.
Because the next generation of leaders isn't waiting for graduation—they're building the future today.
Follow me on all my socials @shansebastianty
#YoungHustle #BeyondTheHustle #RisingMinds #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #SignLanguage #SoftwareEngineering #StudentInnovation #ASEANHackathon #Philippines #TechForGood #Accessibility #iACADEMY #FutureEngineers #Innovation
