WayFinder wins Rep. William Timmons’ 2025 Congressional App Challenge in South Carolina’s Fourth District
Rep. William Timmons has named Dhanya Rajagopalan of Southside High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in South Carolina’s Fourth District. Their app WayFinder is a mobile tool that helps teens find support for substance abuse in a safe, judgment-free space.
When asked what inspired the creation of WayFinder, Dhanya Rajagopalan said, “As a consistent volunteer member at GCYB, an organization focused on teen substance abuse prevention, I’ve witnessed firsthand how deeply stigma and lack of accessible guidance affect young people. Seeing teens struggle in silence and feel isolated had a profound impact on me. It motivated me to create Wayfinder, a safe, supportive app that empowers teens to seek help confidently and without fear or judgment.”
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.