Lee Sin-won, a 22-year-old senior majoring in computer engineering at Handong Global University in South Korea, was one of the two Korean students among the 50 outstanding winners. (Image courtesy of Apple)
SAN FRANCISCO, Jun. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – Apple’s program aimed at recognizing students with exceptional coding abilities has provided a Korean student with the remarkable opportunity to showcase her innovative app before Apple’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Cook.
On June 9, the day before the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicked off, Apple hosted an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where 14 outstanding students demonstrated the apps they developed as part of the Swift Student Challenge.
Introduced in 2020, the Swift Student Challenge is an annual WWDC initiative designed by Apple to identify and encourage talented student coders as part of the company’s efforts to nurture future talent.
This year, after receiving thousands of submissions from around the world, Apple selected 350 winners from five countries. From this group, 50 students were recognized as outstanding winners for developing apps that demonstrated innovation, creativity, social impact, and inclusivity.
Among these 50 exceptional students, 14 were invited to Apple’s headquarters to present their apps before the company’s executives, including Tim Cook himself.
Lee Sin-won, a 22-year-old senior majoring in computer engineering at Handong Global University in South Korea, was one of the two Korean students among the 50 outstanding winners. Notably, she was the sole Korean student afforded the opportunity to demonstrate her app directly to CEO Tim Cook.
Lee’s award-winning app produces melodies when the user’s thumb touches other fingers, allowing for the performance of eight different notes by using both hands. The app guides users through finger gestures synchronized with musical notation and includes playable versions of popular songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Jingle Bells.”
“Meeting Tim Cook made me feel like I had truly won the award,” Lee remarked. “After the initial announcement in May, it felt like a dream to be invited to the United States.”
Reflecting on her motivation, Lee said, “As a computer engineering student in the AI era, I wanted to test the limits of my abilities.” She revealed that item selection alone took a month, and she even coded during her sister’s wedding while preparing the app over a week.
Despite being a liberal arts student until high school, Lee shared, “After struggling with my grades in computer engineering, I was contemplating career options when I decided to take on this challenge.” She added, “This experience has inspired me to further pursue a career as a developer, particularly in the field of augmented reality (AR) and vision technologies like the app I created.”
Praising Lee’s work, Cook stated, “Apple is passionate about empowering people to unleash their creativity and bring their ideas to life through technology.” He lauded Lee’s ability to “make composing music simple and fun through her impressive app.”
Cook expressed delight in witnessing Lee “use her creativity to help others unleash their own,” adding, “I look forward to the grand ideas she will bring forth in the future.”
During the WWDC from June 10 to 14, Lee will be hosted at Apple Park, participating in customized programs, special events, and networking opportunities with creators from around the world. Additionally, she will receive a one-year membership to the Apple Developer Program and a special gift from the company.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
