A 22-Year-Old African-American Secures Apple Scholarship and joins Company as a Developer

Yemi Agesin’s journey to success began when he emerged as one of the winners of the 2023 Swift Student Challenge Apple scholarship. This prestigious accolade recognizes the creativity and innovative thinking of 375 students worldwide. The challenge is an integral part of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where students are tasked with designing original app playgrounds using the Swift coding language.

 

In a remarkable achievement, Yemi Agesin, a 22-year-old African-American man, has been awarded an Apple scholarship, opening doors for him as a developer at the renowned tech giant.

As part of their prize, the scholarship recipients were granted a yearlong membership in the Apple Developer Program, a personalized pin set, AirPods Pro, and exclusive WWDC23 outerwear, according to Afrotech.

Yemi Agesin’s passion for coding ignited during his middle school years, even while he was actively engaged in playing shortstop for his school’s baseball team. His exposure to a website called Code Academy by middle school students in Germany served as a catalyst for strengthening his coding knowledge.

 

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“In middle school, I felt that power one day when my first language was JavaScript, and the first task was to get rid of pop-up windows in a web browser,” Yemi shared. “And all it took was one single line of code, and it just felt so powerful. I really recreated things that I faced as a user, so now, I’m not just a user, I’m a creator. To hone my skills, whenever I have a concept or idea, I’d try to build it,” he added. Yemi frequently develops games and programs, particularly focusing on aiding people with their studies.

Yemi had envisioned applying for the scholarship in the past but faced scheduling conflicts with his classes. The opportunity finally materialized in his final year of college.

His journey wasn’t without challenges. In fact, he encountered a significant obstacle moments before his submission deadline. His web browser crashed, almost resulting in the loss of his application. Yemi’s tenacity and the ability to persevere proved essential. He hastily rewrote his responses and submitted them in the nick of time.

With the Apple scholarship in hand, Yemi is determined to refine the apps he submitted and release them on the App Store. He aspires to develop a more sophisticated version of his program, Diamond Duel.

 

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Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science at Kennesaw State University, Yemi is also gaining practical experience as a software engineering intern at an international sports technology organization. His journey, marked by determination and resilience, serves as an inspiring testament to the potential for young talent to thrive in the tech industry.