Sspommo (Help) wins Rep. Ryan Zinke’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Montana’s First District
Rep. Ryan Zinke has named Aiyahna Green, Sophia Guerrero-Gobert, and Kalani SunRhodes of Browning High School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Montana’s First District. Their app Sspommo (Help) is designed to provide individuals with a safe space to express their feelings and thoughts on difficult topics.
When asked what inspired the creation of Sspommo (Help), the students said, “Mental health is often overlooked in Native American communities. Even when support is available, many people who need help are too afraid or too embarrassed to seek it. Opening up to a mentor or counselor can be difficult, especially when a level of trust hasn’t yet been established. We found that, because of this, a contact-free support system would be more beneficial for users. With our app, individuals wouldn’t have to immediately share their struggles with a physical mentor. Instead, they could use the app to become more comfortable expressing their feelings. For those who don’t wish to speak with a mentor at all, the app could also serve as their primary source of support.”
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.