#CodingLabStudents: Anish Srivastava, ICS 2024/25 Platinum and Best Presentation Award Winner!
Anish, our Platinum Award and Judge’s Choice (Best Presentation Award for the International Coding Showcase (ICS) 2024/25 Award Ceremony held at the Singapore Zoo with Mr. Foo (Founder, Coding Lab) and Dr. Shang Zhe (Vice President of Veterinary Healthcare at Mandai Wildlife Group)
Meet Anish, a 13-year-old tech enthusiast from St. Andrew’s Secondary School whose love for creativity and technology shines through everything he does. From coding and robotics to collecting Pokémon cards, he thrives on discovery, problem-solving, and meaningful innovation.
With his impressive win of the Platinum Award and Judges’ Choice (Best Presentation) at the International Coding Showcase (ICS) 2024/25, Anish has shown that age is no barrier when it comes to making an impact with technology.
Read on to find out more about his coding journey and his ICS 2024/25 experience!
“The International Coding Showcase 2024/25 gave me a chance to push my AI and machine learning skills on a project I really cared about. I didn’t just code—I had to think like a real problem-solver and designer, creating something useful and meaningful for zoo visitors.”
Presenting Anish, our #CodingLabStudent and award-winning tech-enthusiast!
Hi Anish, could you tell us more about yourself!
I’m someone who loves combining creativity with technology. My main hobbies are coding and robotics—I enjoy building projects that challenge my problem-solving skills and bring my ideas to life. Whether it’s programming a robot or trying out a new language, I find it both fun and rewarding.
Outside of tech, I’m also a passionate Pokémon card collector. I love hunting for rare cards, organizing my collection, and connecting with other collectors. It’s a fun way to relax and taps into my love for strategy. I also enjoy spending time with friends—especially hanging out at McDonald’s to eat and chat.
How did you start coding?
I began coding around age 9 when my dad introduced me to Scratch. I was fascinated by how I could create interactive games and stories just by dragging blocks. That experience sparked my curiosity and made me want to explore more.
Soon after, I got into LEGO Mindstorms, which let me combine my interest in building and programming. It taught me to think logically and creatively as I programmed robots to complete tasks.
Anish winning an award for a Robotics competition!
A major turning point was joining Coding Lab. Their fun and engaging lessons, along with the supportive instructors, helped me deepen my understanding and move beyond block coding to Python and web development. With their guidance, I gained the skills and confidence to take on more advanced projects.
Why did you decide to join the International Coding Showcase 2024/25?
I joined ICS because it gave me the perfect chance to blend my love for coding with a topic I really care about—animals. On my own zoo visits, I noticed how hard it was to locate specific animals or access detailed info about them. It made me think that others probably had the same experience.
That inspired me to create a solution that could improve zoo visits—making them more interactive, informative, and fun—while also raising awareness about animal conservation. ICS was the right platform to explore this idea and work on something meaningful that could help others connect with wildlife in a better way.
“Joining Coding Lab was a major turning point. The engaging classes and supportive instructors really helped me deepen my understanding of programming and encouraged me to take on more advanced projects. With their guidance, I progressed from block-based coding to Python and web programming.”
What have you learned from your ICS participation?
The best part of ICS was pushing myself to apply machine learning and AI to a real-world problem that I genuinely cared about. It wasn’t just about the coding—I had to think about how to design features that would be useful for actual users, which helped me grow as both a problem-solver and a designer.
It felt great to work on something that combined technical challenge with real purpose, and it made me more confident in using my skills to create meaningful change.
What are your future coding aspirations?
I always have a long list of projects that I’m working on, as I love applying my coding skills to real-life challenges. Looking ahead, I definitely see myself building advanced robots and smart devices-projects that blend creativity, engineering, and technology. I’m especially interested in robotics that can interact with people and make everyday life easier or more enjoyable.
I love the entire process of designing, coding, and bringing ideas to life, and I hope to one day create robots that can genuinely help people in their daily lives, whether it’s at home, in schools, or in the community!
Anish’s journey is a testament to what happens when passion meets purpose. Whether he's designing user-focused tech to enhance zoo experiences or dreaming up robots that help in everyday life, Anish continues to explore, innovate, and inspire. We can’t wait to see what this young trailblazer creates next.
Our #CodingLabStudents blogs feature our ambitious students and their ongoing coding journeys – be it the budding coder or advanced Python Pro, we appreciate each and every single one’s efforts as they progress to greater heights. 🌱
Coding Lab offers an award-winning curriculum specially for ages 5 to 18 – check out our courses to begin your own coding journey today!
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