8/20/2024 Mackenzie Wranovics
Computer Science student Michael Parekh is a winner of the Swift Student Challenge by Apple. Described as a challenge that allows students to showcase their capabilities and creativity by creating an app in only a few weeks, students everywhere have taken the opportunity to put their minds to the test.
Written by Mackenzie Wranovics
Every year, Apple announces their Swift Student Challenge. Described as a challenge that allows students to showcase their capabilities and creativity by creating an app in only a few weeks, students everywhere have taken the opportunity to put their minds to the test.
Michael Parekh, a 2024 graduate of CS + Economics from Illinois is one of 50 distinguished winners of the Swift Student Challenge. 350 winners were selected overall with the distinguished winners being labeled as the “best of the best.”
Parekh’s winning submission was an app called “Pink” that takes users through the various steps of CPR and what to do in the event of someone going into cardiac arrest.
The inspiration for “Pink” came from recent events in Parekh’s personal life. “I recently lost someone close to me due to cardiac arrest,” Parekh said. “I thought that this would be a good way to help me move forward and process that tragedy.”
Parekh hopes to see “Pink” used in classrooms around the world in the future. He is still developing and refining the app to get it to this next stage.
Before entering the competition, Parekh was already familiar with the challenge. “This is something that I’ve wanted to participate in since I started programming several years back in high school,” Parekh said.
Having held past internships with large companies like Snapchat, Parekh sees the importance of computer science in application development. “I primarily focus on iOS development, because I think it’s one of the best ways to deliver a product to the hands of users directly,” Parekh said.
Parekh is no stranger to challenges like this one. Before enrolling at Illinois, Parekh was organizing hackathons in the Chicago area for high school students.
“I started programming in my sophomore year of high school and worked on building projects whenever I could find time over the weekends,” Parekh said. “ I also organized several hackathons throughout high school like Hack Chicago and Windy City Hacks.”
Parekh has seen first hand the effects that challenges like Apple's Swift Student Challenge can have on students. “Participating in competitions like this one is a great way to sharpen your technical skills and build projects that you otherwise would not have the time to work on,” Parekh said. “There are so many resources available to college students, and it is important to take advantage of those.”
For Parekh, creativity is a major aspect of his passion for computer science. “I've always been a creative person,” Parekh said. “Computer science is one of those fields where you can build anything that you want as long as you have access to a computer.”
Parekh has felt the support of the Illinois computer science family throughout his journey as a student. “People are very supportive and I have met some of my closest friends through the program,” Parekh said. “It is important to know that you were admitted to the program because the school believes in you.”
Inspiration is key in the field of computer science and for Parekh, that is exactly what led him to success. “It can be an intimidating field to get into, but just go for it and believe in yourself,” Parekh said. “As cliche as that sounds, there’s so much to learn in the field and you never know what you’ll end up creating until you do it. Give yourself that inspiration and eventually you’ll build something worth remembering.”