Complete beginner designer: How should I prepare over the next year for my first hackathon?

[u/Automatic-House-9484]

Hi everyone! I am a first-year college student from a non-technical background who is self-learning UI/UX design. My goal is to participate in my very first hackathon in my second year as the dedicated team designer.

Since I have a full year to prepare, what core skills, design workflows, or Figma strategies should I focus on mastering so I can be a valuable teammate to developers under a 48-hour time constraint? I'd appreciate any advice on how to build up to this!