AidSense wins Rep. Nellie Pou’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New Jersey’s Ninth District
Rep. Nellie Pou has named Mohammed Gezzaz, Sparsh Roy, Aarya Patel, and Arhaan Shah of High Tech High School, Hopewell Valley Central High School, and Paradise Valley High School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New Jersey’s Ninth District. Their app AidSense makes finding resources such as shelters, food banks, and clinics easier.
When asked what inspired the creation of AidSense, the students said, “In our communities, many people struggle to find local resources or look for the answers to their questions about a specific place. There is a high demand for supportive services, shelters, and resource access, yet awareness and access are limited in underserved neighborhoods. Google Maps may provide limited information, reviews can be biased, unhelpful, or nonexistent, and having to search online in an urgent situation can be overwhelming. This is why we thought of making an app that makes this situation easier for those in need, as they are already struggling with so much. By offering an easy-to-use user interface and personalized guidance from an AI chatbot, AidSense helps users quickly and confidently find the support they need, overall making the process significantly easier.”
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.