ShopGreen wins Rep. Adam Schiff’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 30th District
Rep. Schiff has named Priscilla L. Ho, a ninth grader at Marlborough School, as the winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 30th District.
When asked what inspired the creation of ShopGreen, the student said, “Every time we make an Amazon order, we are responsible for sending vans and trucks up and down highways and streets, each day degrading communities that have to live with the pollution generated by our online shopping habits. Amazon’s giant warehouses and trucks are predominantly located in Black and Brown communities that are already suffering from pollution caused by environmental racism. ShopGreen not only warns you about the harmful consequences of online shopping, but also proactively stops you from making irresponsible shopping decisions. As Vice President Kamala Harris said when she was California’s Attorney General, the burdens of pollution should not be focused on sensitive populations or on communities that are experiencing its adverse effects. ShopGreen wants to reduce this unfair burden on the communities already being destroyed by our careless behavior.”
This year’s Challenge saw an unprecedented level of participation, with 374 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions, surpassing the previous record of 340. A remarkable 11,334 students from across the United States competed in this year’s Challenge, marking an impressive increase of nearly 1,000 participants compared to the previous record set in 2019. The enthusiasm and creativity these students display is a testament to the growing interest in technology and signal a bright future for American innovation. The surge of ingenuity continued with a whopping 3,645 original applications flooding in, nearly a thousand more than the previous year’s high. This remarkable growth showcases the exceptional talent and innovation within our nation’s youth.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from Omidyar Network, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2024, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.