CAC: How did participating in the Congressional App Challenge contribute to your personal journey, career path, and accomplishments so far?

AD: The Congressional App Challenge was the first time I really pushed myself to go from zero to one on something technical. We knew absolutely nothing about building mobile applications, but we dove in headfirst and figured it out along the way. That experience showed me that it’s okay to have the audacity to create. I still carry that mindset today. Whenever I face something new or intimidating, I find myself comfortable thinking: “Hey, I might not know how to solve this yet, but nothing’s going to stop me from trying.”

CAC: Try to remember back to competing in the CAC – what was your app about and why did you create it?

AD: My classmate and I built Vigilant, a women’s safety app inspired by conversations in our community about how often women find themselves in unsafe or vulnerable situations, both in public and private spaces. We wanted to create something straightforward and practical that could offer support, even in small but meaningful ways.

Our approach was to design an app that looked like a social media platform on the surface, but underneath included discreet safety features such as location monitoring, close circle alerts, and direct one-click access to helplines. The idea was to give women a way to signal for help without drawing unwanted attention to themselves.

For us, the project wasn’t just about the technology, but it was about rethinking how design choices could make tools safer and more usable in real situations.

CAC: What are you most proud of in your academic or professional career thus far?

AD: What I’m most proud of is founding Innoverge, a youth-led global nonprofit that has brought STEMxHumanities education to over 12,000 students across 15+ countries. It began as a small before-school program that a few classmates and I ran for just five students at a local community center.

Over 8 years, it has grown into a global network powered by youth leaders who believe that innovation and empathy should always go hand in hand. Building Innoverge has been the most rewarding learning experience of my life. It taught me how to organize from the ground up, how to navigate situations with no right answers, and how to empower a collective to take ownership of a shared mission.

Most of all, it showed me that age is not a barrier to impact. When people believe in your vision and you’re willing to work hard for it, even a small idea can spark real change.

CAC: Let’s look into the future – where do you hope to be in 2035?

AD: Honestly, I have no idea! If the past five years have shown us anything, it’s that 2035 could look completely different than we expect and that’s part of the excitement.

What I do know is that I want to stay close to my core passion: building systems that reimagine how people learn, collaborate, and solve complex social and economic problems. As technology evolves, my hope is to help shape tools that are not only cutting-edge but also meaningful, accessible, and human-centered.

Personally, I want my worldview to keep expanding. Over the next decade, I hope to travel widely, immerse myself in communities very different from my own, and keep teaching and learning from the people I meet along the way.

CAC: What excites you most about the future of technology and innovation?

AD: What excites me most about the future of technology is its growing accessibility. Every time a young student gets their first laptop, writes their first line of code, or discovers the vast knowledge of the internet, an entirely new world opens up. Barriers to building are being lowered every day, which means innovation may no longer be concentrated in a handful of companies or countries, but it will come from billions of voices, each with unique perspectives and problems to solve. That shift excites me because it will shape a future where breakthroughs are more inclusive, creative, and reflective of the diversity of our world.

The technologies that define tomorrow may not just be built in Silicon Valley; they’ll be built in classrooms, community centers, and living rooms around the globe.