IAHeroes wins Rep. Zachary Nunn’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Iowa’s Third District

When asked what inspired the creation of IAHeroes, Joseph Zambreno said, “The inspiration for IAHeroes began with my grandfather, who served in the military. Like many veterans, he rarely spoke about his service, and as the years passed, I realized how easily these critical stories could be lost if nobody made an effort to preserve them. While my grandfather does not live in Iowa, I wanted to start my journey with the veterans in my community, those who shaped the experiences I get to have today. I wanted to create something that would not only preserve his experiences but also honor the thousands of other veterans whose stories deserve to be held onto and not forgotten. My main goal was to build a platform that gave recognition to those within our community who have served, and to create a space where families, students, and community members could interact with those stories.

“I also noticed a frightening issue: there is no centralized, accessible, and user-friendly archive focused on preserving the stories, specifically of Iowa’s veterans. Many stories are scattered wildly across scrapbooks or newspaper clippings. I believe that by bringing them into one platform, IAHeroes ensures that these memories are preserved and made available to all interested Iowans, if that veteran or their family so chooses.

“Additionally, local history often goes untold in classrooms in favor of broader national or global events. Yet it is these personal, community-based stories that can resonate most effectively with students and help them be more interested in civic engagement. I wanted to combine education, community engagement for students, and securing the well-being of veterans into one service.

“IAHeroes also encourages civic engagement and reflection. While attending the Drake Civic Leadership Academy, I came to understand the importance of being a leader within your community and inspiring others to do the same, which is exactly what I aim to do with this app. When users browse the archive or send a thank-you message to a veteran on the platform, they are contributing to something much larger than themselves: recognizing the achievements of extraordinary people.

“Finally, I drew inspiration from digital storytelling projects I have previously encountered. I saw the usage of technology to preserve culture and identity, and I wanted to apply these ideas in my community, creating a space where veterans’ stories are explored and appreciated. IAHeroes is my way of using technology to preserve the past, connect the present, and educate for the future.”