Johns Creek High School students named Samsung Solve for Tomorrow finalists

Johns Creek High School students are headed to Washington, D.C., after earning one of 10 national finalist spots in Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition, a national stage that rewards school projects built to tackle real community problems.

Samsung announced the finalists on March 11, selecting the schools from a field of 100 semifinalists based on project pitch videos. The Johns Creek team is now among the schools scheduled to present live in Washington on April 14, competing for prize packages of Samsung technology and classroom supplies.

The competition, now in its 16th year, is open to public school students in grades 6 through 12 and has become a significant source of support for classrooms nationwide. Samsung said it has awarded more than $29 million in technology and classroom resources to public schools in all 50 states since the program launched in 2010. This year’s finalist class also reflects a wider push toward equity in STEM: Samsung said half of the finalist schools are Title I schools, and 80% of the projects use tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things sensors, drones or 3D printing.

That matters well beyond the competition itself. Solve for Tomorrow is built around student teams identifying problems in accessibility, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, public health and medicine, then using technology to propose answers. For families in Forsyth County and the surrounding North Georgia region, the Johns Creek team’s advance suggests local students are not just learning technical skills, but applying them to issues that affect daily life, from health access to safer, more resilient communities.

The recognition also fits a recent pattern at Johns Creek High School. In 2024, students there took first, second and third place in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District Congressional App Challenge. Ishaan Kejriwal won with BioDock AI, while Alexander Xu placed second and Jaiveer Bagga took third. The back-to-back successes point to a school culture that has been producing work with consequences beyond trophies and judging rooms.

Rep. Rich McCormick, who represents Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, congratulated the students and highlighted the project as an example of Georgia talent solving problems with practical value. McCormick, a decorated veteran and emergency room physician, has repeatedly used his office to spotlight science and STEM efforts in the district.

For Johns Creek High School, the finalist spot is more than a competition milestone. It puts student innovation from the metro Atlanta edge of the district in the national spotlight, with the potential to shape ideas that reach far beyond one classroom.