Earlier this month, John Seong, a Grade 12 student at Garth Webb Secondary School, was invited to the
Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in Cupertino, California.
To receive an invitation, Seong was required to submit an iPhone/iPad app developed entirely in Apple’s own coding language. Seong provided detailed responses as to what the app accomplishes and the backstory behind creating it. The app goes through a rigorous judging process by Apple engineers, and around one-third of applicants who make it to the final round are selected to go to Apple Park.
Inspired by the Marvel movie, Ant-Man: Quantumania, Seong developed an app called Atomizer AR (available free on the
App Store). The app is used for chemistry and visualizes what atoms and molecules look like on a quantum level. As a visual learner, he developed this app to visualize what atoms and molecules really look like.
Seong grew up watching WWDCs, where his passion for computer science began.
“Steve Jobs’ legendary speech to follow your heart because ‘life is too short’ still resonates with me in making my daily decisions,” says Seong.
In California, Seong says there were several highlights that made the trip stand out: dining in the same cafeteria that Steve Jobs frequented while contemplating new products, visiting the very garage where Jobs and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made the Apple II computer, and seeing the new AR headset by Apple in a theatre named after Jobs.
“These small things had big impacts on me; they made me realize that these people, who seemingly create things out of nothing, and quite frankly change the world, are also the same people like us who grew up in a small bungalow house with parents who were none other than car mechanics,” says Seong. “I feel like this gave hope to lots of young people including myself to keep going despite hitting hurdles in life.”
Seong’s success speaks to the value of creating the learning conditions for all students to thrive, as outlined in the HDSB’s
2020-2024 Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
“John is unapologetically original. He is inquisitive, creative and he puts his own unique spin on every assignment,” says Pamela Jenkins, Principal at Garth Webb Secondary School. “John is truly an ideas guy through and through and we have no doubt that he will accomplish great things in the future.”
Seong says he has learned from Jobs’ interviews and presentations that following what we are truly passionate about helps us to persevere, and in life we can transform negativity into positivity by seeking constant growth.
After graduation, Seong will be interning as a software engineer at a small social media company near Palo Alto, while attending the University of California, Irvine.
