Technology giant Apple shared special content about three different 2024 Swift Student Challenge winners.
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Elena Galluzzo, 22, spends half her time in Waterloo, Ontario, where she completed her undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University, and the other half at her family’s home in suburban Toronto. Galluzzo, who lives at home with his mother, father, sister, grandfather and grandmother, was inspired by them in his winning application called Care Capsule. “My grandmother has advanced Alzheimer’s and needs full-time care.” Galluzzo continues: “This situation is also very difficult for my grandfather because even though he lives with his children and grandchildren, he is very lonely. Most older people do not live like this. Canada has an aging population, I think it’s very important to look for ways to help people in this area. Writing code also gives me a way to contribute.”
Galluzzo designed the Care Capsule app as an all-in-one assistant for older people. Galluzzo developed a chatbot using Apple’s machine learning framework Create Ml. By analyzing interactions, this robot can understand when the user is lonely or depressed. The app also allows users to track their medications, access community resources and save positive memories. Galluzzo hopes to release the Care Capsule app on the App Store after he graduates with a degree in business administration this spring.
Moreover, in this process, he plans to apply what he learned at WWDC24 in June. “It is very exciting to be able to meet people who share the same passion as me.” says Galluzzo, then adds: “I’m also looking forward to seeing the new software frameworks that will be released and how I can use them. “I think it’s fascinating to be able to leverage the functionality of your device itself and at the same time develop something that helps solve important challenges.”
Growing up in Canton, Michigan, 22-year-old Dezmond Blair spent most of his time mountain biking with his younger brother. Although his family had a second-hand computer, they could not afford an internet connection. “After growing up in a trailer park, it became very important for me to keep my grades up because my mom and dad told me when I was little that I shouldn’t be like them,” Blair said.
“They spent most of their lives trying to make sure I didn’t have difficulties like them. This became the inspiration behind my passion.” A diligent student in high school, Blair discovered an interest in technology and earned an associate’s degree in computer programming. Blair attended the Apple Developer Academy in Detroit last year, where he was introduced to Apple’s programming language Swift.
Using this language, Blair developed the award-winning iPad app MTB XTREME. This app gives mountain bike riders a 360-degree view of the trails around them. Later, Blair also wants to release a much more impressive version for Apple Vision Pro.
In addition to working on his own applications, Blair supports application prototype designs with his company called Easy Dez It. However, his most important goal for the future is related to his family. “I want to buy them a house in the future.” says Blair, then adds: “They did a lot for me and my little brother, I have to repay them.”
Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Jawaher Shaman was very close with his grandfather. Shortly after losing his grandfather when he was 5, he began to stutter, which became increasingly challenging. Over time, with the help of his father, he learned ways to overcome this and this situation came to an end. Now 27, Shaman, who is studying at the Apple Developer Academy in Riyadh, aims to help people suffering from speech disorders with his award-winning app My Child.
“My father never made me feel different, and I hope my app will do the same for all children and teens who stutter.” Shaman continues: “I don’t want them to think that stuttering is an insurmountable problem.” The My Child app tells the story of Shaman from the perspective of a child who stutters. There are characters in the story inspired by his father and grandfather. The app offers exercises that help users breathe slowly and prepare them for real-life experiences, such as reading a story in class.
Shaman uses AVFAudio to add sounds that mimic his father’s method of breaking sentences into smaller, more manageable chunks. After graduating, Shaman will work as a programmer in Saudi Arabia. He also wants to release the My Child app on the App Store and continue to develop apps that will help others. “By using technology, I hope to help children whose brains work and develop differently because I know what it means to be different.” says Shaman, then adds: “Coding has opened up countless possibilities for me and brought me one step closer to my goals. “I aim to help people and leave a lasting impact.”