Jeremiah Scheday’s (Detroit Cohort 1 Hidden Genius Alum) passion for video game development and coding runs deep. Before The Hidden Genius Project, Jeremiah struggled with teaching himself how to code: “Despite many attempts, I was ultimately unsuccessful and felt confused.” Everything changed once Jeremiah joined our program. Not only did Jeremiah thrive learning how to code and design his own video game, but he also improved his public speaking and leadership skills which landed him a job as a Youth Educator. We sat down with 17-year-old Jeremiah to get a firsthand account of his recent experience teaching a Swift App Development workshop series in Detroit, and to learn why he is excited to pursue a career as a robotics engineer.
How have you been?
Life has been good. I’ve started teaching the Game Development Learning Track (a specialized learning pathway in our Intensive Immersion Program) as a Youth Educator to my Detroit Cohort 2 (DET2) brothers this summer. I also just finished teaching a Swift (an app development platform by Apple) Community Partnership Program workshop series to young people in the community last month. [Click HERE to watch highlights from this programming partnership].
Now that summer programming has started, I’ve been helping our DET2 Geniuses work on their final projects. They have been very engaged in learning everything the program has to offer and it has been amazing to see them evolve into who they are today. Not only have they transformed into leaders, but they also built stronger bonds with each other.
I’ve also been taking dual enrollment classes at Lawrence Tech University (our program site partner in Detroit) in preparation for my senior year of high school. Last semester, I joined a speech and debate class which was fun and eye-opening. Being a part of The Hidden Genius Project sparked my interest in becoming a better public speaker. While in the program, I had to work on and improve my public speaking and presentation skills since I had to present my projects in front of my brothers and community.
How did you first learn about The Hidden Genius Project?
I first learned about The Hidden Genius Project when my Yaya (grandma) told me about the program. Once she told me, “They are going to teach you how to code,” I was immediately on board because I wanted to learn about computer science. Before joining the program, I had a lot of online friends who knew how to code and make games. They were the ones who inspired me to pick up coding and game development.
What was your experience in the program like?
I truly enjoyed everything about The Hidden Genius Project. Before the program, I tried to teach myself how to code, but despite many attempts, I was ultimately unsuccessful and felt confused. Once I joined the program, I was finally able to gain a strong understanding of coding and game development concepts. This helped me create my own video game which is something I’ve always wanted to learn how to do. I also learned how to use several programming languages such as Scratch, HTML, C# on Unity, and now Swift.
Two weeks before I finished my 15 months of programming, my understanding of these coding concepts was put to the test when I discovered that my final gaming project deleted itself from my computer. I was mad and heartbroken about losing all of my hard work, but my brothers encouraged me to recreate my game and build it better. They also reminded me about our cohort’s promise to finish our projects by the deadline as we were told that there had never been a cohort where everyone submitted their final projects on time. As a result, I recreated my game in a little over a week, but it was easy to do since I knew my code pretty well. Truthfully speaking, I had to pull a few all-nighters to finish my project, but I ultimately finished it on time.
In addition to computer science, I also learned a lot about what it means to be a leader. I had the opportunity to be a leader and role model for my brothers in my cohort. I was the person who would call my brothers if they were running late to the program and keep them in check. This was the moment I knew I had grown into a leader.
Because of my experience in The Hidden Genius Project, I was able to go on business trips and tour Kettering University and the University of Michigan which was really cool. These schools stood out to me because of their campus and the programs. I plan on applying to both schools to become a robotics engineering major this fall.
Describe the app you designed during your time in the Immersion Program.
For my final project, I created a game called “Get Home” on Unity. The goal of the game is to get the main character home in their car while the user navigates three stages that get progressively more difficult than the last. At the very end, there is a secret stage where you finally get home. During the game, there are hundreds of zombies and you have to fight off as many as possible in 1 minute. My favorite was coming up with the “lore” (hidden backstory) of the game, especially when my brothers would try to figure out what the story was.
How is The Hidden Genius Project different from other mentorship or training experiences that you have been involved in?
The Hidden Genius Project taught me skills that I would’ve otherwise never learned. As I mentioned before, I struggled to learn coding on my own. In addition to coding, I learned what it takes to become an entrepreneur and start your own business. While I didn’t join the Business Learning Track for my capstone project, I had the opportunity to become a Co-Founder of my brother’s (Bryant Parnell, DET1) business called Paw Search. We noticed that there was a major stray animal problem in the community since you would see them everywhere when walking around. Bryant sought to fix this problem by creating Paw Search and found ways to develop his idea more when he started the Business Learning Track. I was able to help him develop his plan as his business partner which was fun.
What specific skills learned in The Hidden Genius Project have been most beneficial for you?
One of the top skills I learned was public speaking. In the beginning, I wasn’t good at speaking in front of groups of people and big crowds. Now, I can speak in front of a group of any size with confidence. This skill was put to the test during the 2023 End of Summer Celebration where I was the emcee for the event. Now, I am mastering this skill even more through my speech and debate classes in school.
In addition to public speaking, I also learned valuable leadership skills during my time in the program. Now that I am working with the DET2 Geniuses as a Youth Educator, I have gotten the opportunity to be a role model for them. I also encourage them to be role models themselves and build a brotherhood with the new Geniuses in Detroit Cohort 3 (DET3).
What was the most important thing you gained on a personal level (development, relationship, community, etc.) from participating in The Hidden Genius Project?
The most important thing I’ve gained from The Hidden Genius project is the brotherhood. I can talk to my brothers about anything and they are also my closest friends. If I hadn’t joined The Hidden Genius Project, I would’ve still been an anti-social person. Before joining The Hidden Genius Project, I didn’t like talking to people so I kept to myself and worked on my hobbies (playing video games, listening to music, and building Legos). I would just go to school, work, and leave, not interacting with anyone. However, The Hidden Genius Project put me in a situation where I was forced to socialize. I thought I would approach programming the same as school but it ended up being completely different. Now, I express myself more and I consider myself to be a talkative person. While I still have a passion for my old hobbies, I do enjoy my new hobby which is coding.
In what ways has the staff of The Hidden Genius Project stayed connected/continued to support you since graduating from the program?
The Hidden Genius Project has stayed connected with me by hosting events and gatherings for alumni. We had alumni office hours for DET1 which was fun because I got to hang with all my brothers. Another way The Hidden Genius Project has stayed connected with me is by letting me know about scholarship opportunities and internships, which has been useful since I will be applying to colleges soon.
What words of encouragement do you have for future Geniuses?
To all future Geniuses, never give up on your dreams. If you want something bad enough, do everything in your capability to achieve it, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Since 2012, nearly 11,400 students have revealed their genius through our Immersion, Catalyst, and Community Partner Programs, and so many more are waiting to shine.
HELP NEW GENIUSES STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT.
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