What started as a bedroom hobby turned into a realistic career option for this 16-year-old teenager, who is being scouted as a rising tech-star by Apple.
After he won a coding competition in 2023, St George Christian School student Jesaiah Creek has done it again, taking the top prize for a second year in a row.
He has won the Apple WWDC24 Swift Student Challenge, which was launched as an opportunity for student developers to showcase their love of coding and build real-world skills to take into their careers and beyond.
This year marks the 13th year of a formal WWDC student program. Apple has run the program for students at WWDC since 2011, and has hosted thousands of students at the conference.
Student developers from all across the world were invited to create an interactive scene in a Swift playground. Winners receive one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program, a complimentary voucher to take an App Development with Swift certification exam, and a gift from Apple.
Jesaiah is a self-taught coder. He started to teach himself how to code at age 13. He impressed judges in 2023 when he introduced his concept of SaxApp, which enables anyone to play an instrument transcending financial restrictions or disabilities, particularly those hypersensitive to noise.
Described as a "tech genius" by competition organisers, Jesaiah made several improvements to his new app, SaxApp, before entering this year's contest. He created a more customised experience, to bring more instruments onto the app, and is planning to publish the app on the App Store to make music even more accessible.
Since winning the 2023 title, Jesaiah has been a guest speaker at conferences, and has promoted digital education.
He plays the saxophone and bass guitar, and thrives on sharing his passion for music education. Jesaiah also started a lunchtime course at school where he teaches other students how to code.
