Meet Crystal Yang

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Crystal Yang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Crystal below.

Crystal, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

“Are girls just stupid or something?” my friend whispered at a local competitive programming contest, where we were the only two girls among over 30 participants.

Despite being a regular competitor in Texas contests, I struggled to find peers like me—girls passionate about computer science. I reached out repeatedly, hoping to connect, learn, and grow together, but often found no one. The feeling of isolation was real.

I realized that waiting for a community to exist wasn’t enough—I needed to create one.

What could bring talented, driven girls together? Competition and opportunity. So, I founded alGIRLithm, a competitive programming contest exclusively for high school girls.

Using my web development skills (HTML, CSS, Next.js), I built the contest platform and contributed 20 challenging problems for participants. To fund prizes, I reached out to about 50 tech startups and companies, successfully securing over $1,000 in cash and $10,000+ in product donations.

While the participants competed fiercely, to me they weren’t just competitors—they were potential friends and allies.

Three years later, alGIRLithm has grown into a global community, with over 400 girls competing annually and a dedicated team of 10 organizers.

Through this journey, I learned that success when you’re the only one in the room isn’t about fitting in—it’s about creating spaces where you and others like you can thrive. By stepping up to build what I needed, I turned isolation into empowerment, proving that being the only one can be the spark for meaningful change.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m the founder of Audemy, an AI-powered platform dedicated to making education accessible and engaging for blind students through audio games and interactive learning tools. Since launching, Audemy has grown to serve over 5,000 blind students across 60+ schools with the support of more than 30 volunteers and input from 20+ teachers. This collaborative community is at the heart of everything we do. Professionally, I’m passionate about combining technology, education, and accessibility to create experiences that empower learners who are often underserved.

Right now, we’re expanding rapidly: onboarding more schools, developing new AI-driven features that adapt to individual learning styles, and preparing to launch a teacher dashboard that provides real-time insights into student progress. These updates will help educators tailor their teaching more effectively and empower blind students to reach their full potential.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Persistence — Because sometimes, getting $10,000+ worth of prizes from tech companies means sending 50+ emails and hearing “No” so many times you start to wonder if your inbox has a vendetta against you. Spoiler: it doesn’t. Keep going. The magic is often just on the other side of “No.”

Creativity — Whether it’s coding a website from scratch or dreaming up ways to make learning fun and accessible, thinking outside the box helped me build something that people actually wanted to be part of. Pro tip: When stuck, pretend you’re an alien trying to figure out human problems. Weird ideas welcome.

Community-building — I learned early on that even when you’re “the only one in the room,” you don’t have to be alone. Finding and connecting with others, or creating your own tribe when none exists makes all the difference. Plus, friends make those late-night grind sessions way more fun.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

Over the past 12 months, my biggest area of growth has been persistence, but more specifically, developing what I call a “probability game” mindset. Instead of passively hoping for good things to happen, I’ve learned to treat success like a numbers game — the more I put myself out there, the higher the chances something great will come back.

This mindset helped me stay in control of my journey. Instead of waiting for the “perfect opportunity” or wishing for luck, I focus on consistently taking action — whether that’s reaching out to potential partners, building new features, or simply showing up every day. I remind myself that progress isn’t about a single win; it’s about stacking small efforts that multiply over time.

So, persistence isn’t just about stubbornly pushing through; it’s about smart, steady effort and trusting the process. This shift has kept me motivated and proactive, even when immediate results weren’t visible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yangcrystal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audemyapp/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crustaly
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@crustaly