activ1st wins Rep. Glenn Ivey’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Maryland’s Fourth District
Rep. Ivey has named Sena Williams, an 11th grader at Rochambeau French Intl. School, as the winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Maryland’s Fourth District.
When asked what inspired the creation of activ1st, the student said, “I’ve always been passionate about activism and advocacy, and one way to defend a cause is by attending protests. However, I am not very involved on social media, which is the main channel through which people find out about protests taking place in their area. This meant that I, along with others like me, were too often missing out. Especially now, in our current polarized political landscape, the ability to easily express and defend one’s beliefs through peaceful protesting, protected by the First Amendment, becomes even more critical. I was therefore inspired to create this app as a singular stop where most protests could be found, making it easier and more accessible for people to attend. There is also a social aspect, allowing users to post questions, interact, and discuss with other people, therefore forming a community of like-minded individuals all trying to make a change.”
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.