At a recent Future Skills Summit in Sydney, SGCS School Captain, Jesaiah C, delivered an inspiring address to an audience of school leaders and industry experts, including the Chief Information Officer of a major bank. He shared his unique journey of blending creativity with technology—an endeavour that began with a simple problem: not always having his saxophone at hand.
A passionate musician, Jesaiah turned to his interest in Information Technology to find a solution. This led to the development of SaxApp, a mobile application designed to replicate the saxophone experience. While his initial attempts were far from perfect, Jesaiah spoke candidly about the importance of learning from failure, embracing feedback, and persisting through challenges.
His perseverance paid off when SaxApp was recognised as a winner of the Apple WWDC Swift Student Challenge—a prestigious accolade that earned him a surprise teleconference with Apple CEO, Tim Cook. Jesaiah described the meeting as both humbling and surreal.
Jesaiah continued to apply the skills he had learnt in other projects, including using Machine Learning to recognise emotions in music and a self landing rocket with custom hardware and software. He credited his success not only to his own determination, but also to the invaluable support of his mentors. He acknowledged the guidance of Mrs Binns, whose industry connections and mentoring played a pivotal role, as well as the encouragement and expertise of his Technology Teachers, Ms Erwin and Mr Cheng.
Reflecting on his journey, Jesaiah shared a powerful message with educators: teachers who learn alongside their students, adapt to individual needs, foster critical thinking, and encourage real-world problem solving, are best equipped to prepare young people for the future. His story is a testament to the power of curiosity, resilience, and the transformative impact of supportive teaching.
