Creighton got the job. He worked on the project from his sophomore year until the app’s launch in early 2025, adjusting and improving the code as he developed his skills through computer science coursework at Holy Cross.
“As I continued my education and was exposed to new ideas, I was able to undo some of the rookie mistakes I made early in the development process,” Creighton said. “For example, I improved the speed by moving away from using one struct, which is essentially a layer.”
The project was completely self-directed, independent work, which meant squeezing in development hours whenever he could. “Over the summers, I would lifeguard during the day, then go to the library immediately after work and stay there until I had to leave and go to bed,” Creighton recalled. “It was a busy couple of summers and school breaks.”
After back-and-forth revisions and streamlining the code, The Garment District app was finalized and published in the spring of 2025.
“It was surreal,” Creighton said of seeing the app go live. “I immediately started checking the statistics and could see the numbers go up as people downloaded it. “New York Locals” even shared it on Instagram. The App Store lists my name as the developer, which is wild to see.”
“We’d been fielding questions about the Garment District’s history for years and have talked about creating an app for some time to bring that story to life," said Anne Bonacum, senior director of planning and marketing for the Garment District Alliance. "When we connected with Tom, the pieces finally fell into place. His creativity and technical skill turned our archival research into something truly engaging."
While Creighton completed the work completely independently, he still received encouragement along the way, including from Farhad Mohsin, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at Holy Cross.
“Tom was very sharp with the concepts, asked good questions and had good answers to my questions as well,” shared Mohsin, who taught Creighton in two courses during his senior year. “When Tom mentioned that he was taking on this project as a solo task, I was very impressed. We always hope that students will take the skills they learn and build real-world projects. His project showcased not only strong programming abilities but also excellent user experience design and project management skills.”
As the only developer on the app, Creighton fit in the work during school breaks and summers, lifeguarding by day and coding by night.
“I was the only one coding for this, so I learned self-discipline and the ability to think things through independently,” said Creighton, who is pursuing a career in software engineering. “At the same time, I learned how to communicate ideas about computer science in order to get people who didn’t necessarily understand the behind-the-scenes a product that they would like — which is another important skill.”
Creighton also learned to accept the ups and downs that are an intrinsic part of computer science: “You are going to make mistakes. It is going to be frustrating. You are going to be sitting, staring at lines of code, wondering what you did wrong. But that is the best way to learn. When you fix one thing and see the program running the way you expect it to, it is a great feeling.”
Bonacum said feedback on the app has been "fantastic."
"Users love the flexibility of the experience, with the ability to start anywhere and explore each story on their own terms," she said. "It’s not just a tour — it’s a deeper way to connect with the neighborhood. We see it as a growing platform, with potential to highlight everything from historic moments to rooftop lounges and local coffee gems that make the Garment District so unique.”
