For coders, being one of the winners of Apple’s Swift Student Challenge is a milestone. It’s a dream-come-true moment for Gaurav Kukreja. The Challenge offers thousands of student developers an opportunity to showcase their creativity and coding capabilities through app playgrounds, and learn real-world skills that they can take into their careers and beyond.

Apple chooses 350 Swift Student Challenge winners whose submissions demonstrate “excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity”. From this group, the company names 50 Distinguished Winners whose work is exceptional. No wonder, Kukreja is over the moon.

Swift is a versatile programming language that one can easily scale. For Kukreja, it offers the “perfect blend of simplicity and depth”.

“When I first started learning programming, I was amazed by how approachable Swift felt. Even as a beginner, I could write small scripts and see results instantly in Playgrounds. But as I grew more confident, I realised Swift had all the power and modern features needed to build complex, scalable apps. Its strong type safety and expressive syntax help catch errors early, which is so important and helpful when you’re building an app. What I love most is how Swift lets me prototype ideas quickly and then scale them up without having to switch languages or frameworks. Whether I’m experimenting with Ul animations or working on backend logic, Swift just feels intuitive and enjoyable,” he told t2.

Gaurav Kukreja is a 20-year-old student from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

Vision BesQ

The 20-year-old’s Playground/app submission is primarily to provide people with quick, clear, and potentially life-saving information in emergency situations. The app is focused on creating an intuitive interface that users can navigate easily, even under stress.

“The vision for BesQ has always been to make life-saving knowledge as accessible and actionable as possible. My first priority is to expand the app’s coverage to include even more emergency scenarios, each illustrated with clear images and, soon, short video demonstrations for each step. I believe visual guidance can make a huge difference when someone is panicking and needs to act fast,” he said.

Looking ahead, he is excited about “integrating an Al assistant specifically trained on medical protocols”. “Imagine being able to describe someone’s symptoms in plain language and instantly get tailored first-aid instructions-always with the reminder to seek professional help when needed. I see this as a way to provide accurate, context-aware guidance, rather than relying on generic or potentially misleading information from general-purpose Al models.

Eventually, I’d love to build features that connect users directly to medical professionals or emergency services through the app, maybe even sharing location data for faster response. My ultimate goal is for ResQ to become a trusted companion in emergencies, always ready to guide, inform, and support users when they need it most.”

One of the biggest challenges he faced while developing the app involves figuring out how to present first aid steps in a way that’s both comprehensive and easy to digest, especially during high-stress situations. “I didn’t want users to be overwhelmed by endless scrolling or miss out on crucial warnings, like not performing abdominal thrusts on infants. To solve this, I envisioned each step as a card, with important warnings highlighted right where they re needed. I spent a lot of time refining the Ul, making sure buttons like ‘Next Step’ and ‘Call 112’ were large, prominent, and colour-coded for quick recognition. I also bolded key phrases within each step to help users scan for the most important information. Animations were another big focus for me; I wanted every interaction to feel smooth and natural, so users would feel reassured and confident as they navigated the app,” said Kukreja.

The all-important essay

There is an element of community when it comes to Swift programming, which is especially helpful when challenges arise while developing apps.

“Whenever I hit a roadblock-whether it was a tricky SwiftUl animation or a bug I couldn’t squash… I’d turn to forums or YouTube channels, and someone was always willing to help. I’ve learned not just technical skills, but also the value of sharing knowledge and lifting each other up. Going forward, I want to give back by sharing my own experiences and learnings. I plan to open-source some of my projects and help mentor newcomers in online communities. I believe that by contributing to the ecosystem, we all grow stronger together, and I’m excited to be a part of that cycle of learning and teaching,” said the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur student.

A crucial aspect of the competition is writing an essay to explain to the reviewer the need for the app. “In mine, I shared the real-life incidents that inspired ResQ-like witnessing a fellow student have an epileptic seizure in the hostel mess at IIT Kanpur, and another time seeing someone experience alcohol poisoning. Both times, I felt a deep sense of helplessness, not just for myself but for everyone around who didn’t know what to do. That’s when the idea for ResQ was born: An app that could empower anyone to act confidently in an emergency.”

He also wrote about his passion for biology and teaching others, and how my background in biological sciences and bioengineering shaped his approach. “I mentioned the technical aspects of the app, like the articles section and the use of voice-guided panic mode, and explained how I used various tools and frameworks.”

He has an important tip for future applicants: “Write your essay yourself, let your genuine motivation come through, and don’t be afraid to show your personality. I wrote mine in about an hour and a half, just before an exam. You have no excuse not to write the essay yourself. After all, it’s your app, and no one can describe it better than you.”

Looking ahead, he plans to pursue an MBA after his B.Tech in biological sciences and bioengineering. “This way, I can combine technical expertise with business strategy. On the programming front, I’m eager to keep building innovative products, like my current project, Pingo, an anonymous community-sharing app for colleges and workplaces. I want to explore the intersection of biology and technology, maybe even develop solutions that bridge healthcare and digital tools. My ultimate goal is to create something truly impactful, something that can scale and make a real difference in people’s lives.”