BetterVeteran wins Rep. Jefferson Van Drew’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New Jersey’s Second District
Rep. Jefferson Van Drew has named Uchenna Uduma of Egg Harbor Township High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New Jersey’s Second District. Their app BetterVeteran is a free-to-use, easy-to-access app targeted to veterans suffering from neurological disabilities such as PTSD and intracranial hemorrhages (brain bleeds).
When asked what inspired the creation of BetterVeteran, Uchenna Uduma said, “My main inspiration for creating BetterVA was my grandfather. Growing up, I watched him struggle with the lasting effects of his military service. Even after serving in my home country’s civil war, his battles didn’t end when he came home. His body endured strokes, minor seizures, and other neurological problems that slowly took their toll. When he was younger, access to medical care was scarce. He couldn’t afford regular screenings or see a neurologist, and as a result, his condition went undiagnosed for years. By the time doctors identified the problem, it was already too late to prevent much of the damage. I remember seeing the sadness in his eyes as medications failed to make a difference.
“This inspired me to look into easy-to-access early medical screening apps. I studied late nights and taught myself all about Machine Learning and web application development, all to give back to my grandfather and the countless veterans who served to make the world we live in today. BetterVA is my way of giving back to our real-world heroes by providing free-to-use PTSD mock tests and brain scan tools, with no downloads or sign-ups needed.”
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.