Stephany Gutierrez
Parity Project Innovation Challenge Winner 2024
Project: SWISH Desalination Device
Hi, Stephany! Tell us a little bit more about yourself!
I’m in the 11th grade. I enjoy learning about space, reading books, and solving Rubik’s Cubes and any other puzzles, and I really love celery.
Tell us the pitch for your 2024 Parity Project Innovation Challenge submission.
Swish is a systematic water desalinator that incorporates innovative technology in order to provide clean water for those in need.
Where did you get the idea for this project?
About two years ago, I came up with an idea for Swish alongside one of my best friends when I was reading the book, The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics by James Kalkalois. There was a section that talked about how solar panels or solar cells could help the creation of jet packs. Solar would allow them to be powered efficiently for a long time by a renewable source.
I had already previously known about solar cells and renewable energies, but what I began to think about was how this invention could be applied to something that is needed, required, and that will actually help people. That’s where I came up with the idea for Swish. There are desalinators out there, but they are not as efficient. They’re not feasible. They are not cost-effective for those people in need. And Swish is all those things.
What are your plans for the future?
I do have some dreams for Swish. I hope to actually start a building process for it because Swish is only theoretical at this point. It’s only pen and paper and a digital sketch. So, I do hope to be able to get all of the materials necessary and start building it.
Hopefully in late May or early June, I’ll be able to start building Swish and have a prototype. And with that, it’s whatever destiny takes me to.
I’ve always wanted to become an aerospace engineer and eventually an astronaut, considering the fact that I’m interested in aviation and space. I could be working on rockets, satellites, or anything that has to do with aviation and the air. And it’s what I love. I love building things. I love getting my hands dirty and putting everything to work.
I think that’s one of the reasons that I actually built Swish was because it gave me something to put my hands on and just work. Obviously, I wish to work for NASA or for a space company like SpaceX or Boeing. I just want to be an astronaut.
Why should someone do the Parity Project Innovation Challenge?
You should apply to the Parity Project Innovation Challenge because it’ll open up the doors to more opportunities for you and help you reach your goals faster.
What does parity mean to you?
Well, I first came across the term parity when I was learning how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, and I learned that it meant an issue, an issue that has to be solved, but that is solved lightly or efficiently or fast. It has to be broken down into smaller steps. You won’t have parities in a regular three-by-three Rubik’s Cube, but you will have one in a four-by-four. So you have to take extra caution when you’re actually trying to overcome those issues.
For me, the parity that I decided that I was going to try and achieve was the issue of unsanitary water in minority neighborhoods, specifically Black neighborhoods, because that’s what this challenge is targeted to. Obviously, it’s not an issue that can be just taken in one bite. It needs to be done piece by piece by piece, and it’s going to take time to solve.
But parity can happen with smaller steps and time and patience.
Why is STEM important to you?
I’ve always been in STEM ever since I went into middle school. STEM is important because it doesn’t limit. It opens you up to the big world of science, the world of engineering, the world of math, the world of technology.
And STEM is around us every single day. We’re surrounded by technology, whether we like it or not. And it’s important because it’s what helps us grow as people. It’s what leads people to have inventions with a knowledge spillover or creative destruction. It is what helps us just keep on going and making the world a better place.
Who is a mentor or someone who inspires you?
An abundance of people have helped me and inspired me to become who I am today. My mom, my sister, my brother, and my dad have helped to motivate me and helped me persevere to become who I am today.
A number of teachers at my school have helped me, too, specifically Mr. Kemple and Mr. David. I believe that without them, I would not know physics.
Mr. David is my mentor and sponsor for this project. He helped me; he motivated me to just keep on going and finish the project. When I told him that I was going to apply for this and that I won, he was so proud of me and it lifted up my spirits because, as a student who stresses themselves out and is in a bunch of rigorous classes, sometimes you don’t see a positive outcome. Luckily through this, I was able to see a positive outcome.
Mr. Kemple, my AP Calculus teacher, has helped me realize that the world is full of math. You’re never gonna escape math. It’s always gonna be there, no matter what profession you go in. And especially because I wanna become an aerospace engineer, there are going to be like 10 levels of calculus. So he’s helped me prepare for that. And he’s always given me hope to try and get double fives on the exam to try and just be perfect.
He always says, “Strive for perfection, achieve excellence.” And I love abiding by these words because they’ve taught me to always try and be better than the person that you were the day before.
Last but not least, I would like to say that a person who has inspired me a lot is one of my great friends who actually helped me create a design for this invention. And I don’t say that it’s just my invention because he was such a great help on it too. His name is Hayk Poghosyan.
He taught me what it meant to be resilient and confident, to never back down from any challenge, to always be positive, to always do the work and put in the effort because if you don’t, you’re not going to see an outcome. I realized that I wanted to be like him because he was always that positive, persevering person.
Without him, Swish would not exist. Without him, I would not have the inspiration for this.