“Growing up in LA, I have always been aware of the risk of fire that are associated with life in southern California,” says Marina Lee, a 21-year-old IT student at the University of Southern California, says Entrepreneur. “But urgency really hit home when my grandmother found herself in the evacuation zones during the last La fires in January,” she called me because she got an evacuation warning on her phone. “
Picture loan: due to the courtesy of Apple. General Director of Tim Cook and Marina Lee.
Lee reminds him that he is overwhelmed by the situation and is unsure what to pack, where to go and how one can be up to this point. Realizing that so many other people probably experienced the same confusion and fear, she decided to build an application to unravel the problem: evacuation.
Ewakumat Lee helps users prepare an emergency control list of the obligatory elements, send copies of valid documents via the iPhone camera throw and importing emergency contacts via the iPhone contact list. The application also allows users to observe the level of air quality and create a first aid set.
Image loan: Courtesy of Marina Lee
It took about a month Lee to develop the application and send it to Apple Swift student challengeA contest that invites students around the world to introduce original playgrounds based on the Apple coding language.
Most students begin to organize their applications from months earlier, so the term “was a bit tight”, notes Lee. However, she was ready for this occasion, after the start of coding in junior highschool and since then she accomplished several projects.
He says that as a “very creative” Lee for the first time she focused on the project and application system. Then she drew attention to practical features. Lee asked friends and family for opinions, working on evacuation, and “a very cooperating process” allowed her to make contact with the audience and understand how they interact with the application.
Image loan: Courtesy of Marina Lee
“I definitely wait for a meeting with other winners of Swift Student Challenge [at WWDC]. “
From among 350 winning applications, Lee was elected as one of the 50 outstanding winners invited to the World Developers (WWDC) in Apple Park. The 2025 conference, which takes place in person and online on June 9-13, begins with the primary address of the General Director Tim Cook and will present the latest technology and software of the company.
“Developers in America introduce innovations every day to build amazing applications that improve people’s lives, and Apple is involved in supporting their work,” says Cook. “It was great to get to know Marina because she shows what is possible when coders use their skills to change their communities – including her hometown of Los Angeles. Its application can be a great source of information for people at a time when they need it the most, and I can’t wait to see what she is doing next.”
Some of this 12 months’s Other outstanding winners Take into account 22 -year -old Taiki Hamomoto from Japan, whose Hanufada Tactics application teaches users how one can play a traditional Japanese card game; Luciana Ortiz Nolasco, 15, from Mexico, whose Breakdowncosmic application offers a virtual meeting place for astronomy enthusiasts; and 21-year-old Nahom Woru, who grew up in Ethiopia and Canada and developed access to the application that gives educational resources available with or without Wi-Fi communication.
“I definitely wait for a meeting with other winners of Swift Student Challenge [at WWDC] And other developers from all over the world in general – says Lee. “During my years of commitment to the Hackathon community, I could build lasting friendships and connections with students from around the world, but it was only through virtual surroundings. So participation in this conference would really bring this experience in person.”
Lee is currently an internship as the Front-End engineer at Amazon, Seattle, Washington. The role focuses on the design of web sites and building user interfaces, a process that, like coding, also gives it a likelihood for creativity, says. He hopes to proceed a similar job, which allows her to mix her passion for creativity, art and coding after graduation.
Other young individuals who wish to learn to cod and potentially proceed their engineering profession should consider participating in hackatons, 24-48-hour events in which students cooperate in projects and participate in workshops, says Lee. Lee initially resembles intimidation, but this experience has laid the basis of where it is now.
“I met new friends with whom I still remain in contact to this day,” says Lee. “[The experience] I let me learn more about coding and get more involved in the Hackathon community. I started to organize a little [hackathons] Me and mentoring in other hackatons. This is a good first step in coding and really allows it [join] community. “
“Growing up in LA, I have always been aware of the risk of fire that are associated with life in southern California,” says Marina Lee, a 21-year-old IT student at the University of Southern California, says Entrepreneur. “But urgency really hit home when my grandmother found herself in the evacuation zones during the last La fires in January,” she called me because she got an evacuation warning on her phone. “
Picture loan: due to the courtesy of Apple. General Director of Tim Cook and Marina Lee.
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