My WWDC 2016
Ever since I was 11, I dreamed of being there at WWDC, watching Craig Federighi on stage, hearing about the latest and greatest iOS features firsthand.
It was a dream that I wanted to make a reality.
If you don’t know what WWDC is, it is the developer conference to go to. It is hosted by Apple each year in June in San Francisco’s Moscone West. New features on their four platforms (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) are announced, and developers learn about what new technologies they can implement in their apps.
Read more about WWDC here.
I knew it was near-impossible to get a ticket, especially now that it is lottery-based. Tickets—$1600 each—for both my dad and me would cost too much anyways.
Luckily, there was another way: the highly coveted WWDC scholarship.
From the thousands of people who apply, 350 people are given a free WWDC ticket by Apple.
The scholarship ticket was special, as it gave you entry to the scholarship orientation on the Sunday before the conference, where you could talk to Apple employees and other scholarship recipients.
In order to be able to apply, however, you have to be 13 or older and be a student or STEM organization member. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian has to accompany you. This year was the first year I was eligible.
Read more about the WWDC scholarship here.
The Application
It seemed simple enough—an app demonstrating Apple technologies and a few essay questions. You could submit any app, even one that you worked on in a team or one that is not in the App Store. If you want to read it all, the scholarship application guidelines are here.
But for me, there was a problem. Apple expected you to have an app already, so they only gave a week and a half to submit the application. The only app that I had in the App Store did not include many Apple technologies, and the app I was working on was in no condition to submit.
What was worse was that last year, you had to do a résumé app, and they gave you time to do it. I expected the application to be the same this year.
Nope.
That week and a half was filled with cramming, but I managed to get the application submitted less than one hour before the deadline.
A week went by, and so came the day Apple would announce the scholarship recipients. It wasn’t until 5:00pm on May 9 that I got the email.
I opened it, and…
Following the cliché “I couldn’t believe it,” I was probably the most excited I’ve ever been.
Fast-forward to June 11…
Day -1
San Francisco
Flying into San Francisco International Airport, my dad and I got our bags and took a SuperShuttle to our hotel, Parc 55.
We couldn’t check into the hotel yet, so we ate lunch and visited Moscone West, where I would be going in the week ahead. Apple logos were still being put up.
We then went up to Union Square to check out the new Apple Store. It’s definitely different from others I’ve been to, It had real trees inside and no Genius Bar.
We passed by what happened to be the Spring Indian Festival in Union Square and then we went back to our hotel to check-in and relax.
I worked out at the gym and ate a large pizza dinner. At around 10:30, I was ready to doze.
Day 0
Scholarship Orientation
Previous years featured Tim Cook at the scholarship orientation, so I was hoping for the highly-desired selfie with him.
After 45 minutes of waiting for the Apple-provided bus transport and another 45 minutes waiting in line, I checked-in for WWDC. They gave me a badge that I would use to get in and a WWDC ‘16 jacket.
The actual orientation in the Mission Bay Conference Center was starting soon, so I quickly grabbed a boxed lunch (featuring sandwich and chips) and went upstairs.
There, Apple staff gave exclusive tech and design talks. We weren’t even allowed to take pictures once it started.
We then went outside to take a group photo. I somehow managed to get a spot in the middle of the front row.
The picture taking went by surprisingly fast, and then Tim Cook made an appearance. He high-fived everyone in the front row, and decided to sit, well, right in front of me for the next picture.
After the photographer attempted to take a picture, it was chaos. Everyone, including me, wanted a selfie. And an autograph of course.
It did not help that I was smaller than everyone. However, I did manage to get the selfie and the autograph.
The selfie chaos was followed by the most important part of the orientation (yes, more important than Tim Cook and exclusive talks): socializing time. Time for talking to other scholarship recipients as well as Apple employees.
I was able to meet attendees of all ages and got to see their apps. Theirs were probably 10 times better than mine.
I also got to meet the project manager of Swift, as well as many other Apple employees who gave me feedback on my app.
At the end of the orientation, Apple gave out free Apple TV developer kits to all the scholarship recipients (which can be turned into a regular Apple TV).
It wasn’t even the first day and it was already worth the trip.
Day 1
Keynote, Platforms State of the Union, and Apple Design Awards
It was a dream that I wanted to make a reality.
It was here. The day of the keynote.
We woke up early and took an Uber to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium with a friend that I met at the orientation. We arrived three hours before it started due to the well-known extremely long keynote line. Apple supplied food and drinks for breakfast.
My phone’s battery was down to 60% by the time we were able to enter, one hour before the 10:00 start.
It turned out there was little point in going early. Unlike Moscone West (where they had the keynote the years before), Bill Graham could seat lots more people. Even after everyone was seated, there were plenty of seats left. My friend and I decided to sit on the second floor.
At 10:00, Tim Cook entered the stage. Everyone cheered, excited to see what was to come. You can watch the full keynote here.
After the keynote, we went outside to eat lunch. We looked over the WWDC schedule Apple released to see which sessions and labs we wanted to attend. At 1:45, we had to get into another line for Platforms State of the Union, where we would get to hear the new features and improvements for developers.
We then stayed inside to watch the Apple Design Awards. The winning apps were inspiring to all of us.
Days 2–5
Sessions and Labs
For the rest of the week, everyone would be at Moscone West, attending sessions, labs, and get-togethers.
Sessions are the technical talks about the new or existing features on Apple’s platforms. However, they are also live streamed and available after WWDC. Unless you are very passionate about the session’s topic (or you want to go to the lab about it later), labs are usually the better option.
Labs are the reason to go to WWDC. 1000 Apple engineers who work on the system frameworks are there to help with any problem you’re having with the framework they work on. You can talk to them even if you don’t have a specific question.
New at WWDC this year were get-togethers. They were held for an hour and a half on Tuesday and Wednesday night. While categorized as “lab,” you instead get to talk to other people that have your interests. I stopped by the health get-together on Wednesday. For me, it was one of the best parts of WWDC.
After the long, busy week, Apple hosted a bash on Thursday night at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (where the keynote was held). The main feature this year was Good Charlotte, signifying their return after their hiatus. Scholarship recipients had a special section on the second floor. It was a fantastic (and very loud) night.
Throughout the conference, I met many new friends and also got to know some of the Apple engineers at the labs. I got to talk to people at the health get-together about my next app idea and hear what they were working on.
On the last day, I had to stop and think about how lucky I was to be here, here at WWDC with the top developers. My dream come true.
Some of the scholarship recipients, including me, didn’t want to say goodbye. We stayed in the scholarship lounge until security kicked us out (around 5 minutes after the official end). On our way down the escalators, we cheered and clapped.
I said goodbye to all the friends I made, wishing them good luck on their journeys ahead. We all hoped we would see each other again at WWDC ‘17, but there were definitely no guarantees.
Reflection
WWDC ‘16 was unquestionably the most important step in my developer career.
From the day the application came out, it was a great experience. I learned not to procrastinate on something that matters to you and to read the directions multiple times. I met great people, all who love programming and are interested in my ideas and projects. I learned so many things, whether it was developer-related or not. I got connections to Apple engineers and employees, providing opportunities for the future.
I came home with a different perspective on life, knowing that there’s still a lot I can do. So much I can accomplish while I’m young, while I’m able to explore my interests.
I‘ll try my best to try to get the scholarship again next year, but I know the stakes get higher every time, and I have to outperform myself from this year.
Goodbye WWDC, you changed me. Changed me in the best way possible.
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