ReStart wins Rep. Vince Fong’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 20th District
Rep. Vince Fong has named Shashank Ramasubramanian of Centennial High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 20th District. Their app ReStart helps individuals transition off the streets by completing day-to-day tasks that allow them to earn income.
When asked what inspired the creation of ReStart, Shashank Ramasubramanian said, “In my home city, Bakersfield, there are a lot of homeless people who are unemployed and who live on the streets without any shelter or assistance. After seeing them, I wanted to make their lives brighter again and restore their place in society. So I decided to connect them to jobs, so they could also make a living too. My mission is to restore dignity and independence by connecting unhoused individuals with paid, meaningful work in their own neighborhoods. There are many opportunities to earn an income and contribute to the community. Tasks people have in the community, which will assist homeless people in finding the right jobs.”
The 2025 Congressional App Challenge marked another record-setting year for the program. A total of 394 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted App Challenges in their congressional districts, the highest level of participation in the program’s history. More than 13,800 students from across the country participated, submitting over 4,600 original apps focused on real-world challenges ranging from health and accessibility to education, sustainability, and civic engagement.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives that encourages middle school and high school students to learn to code, explore computer science, and build practical technology solutions for their communities. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and winning teams are invited to showcase their projects to Members of Congress, staff, and industry leaders at the annual #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.
The Challenge is proudly bipartisan and reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to STEM education and preparing the next generation of American innovators for the future workforce. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Infosys Foundation USA, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2026 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.