Charlotte, NC--Congresswoman Alma Adams is excited to announce the 2016 winners of the Congressional App Challenge (CAC) from North Carolina’s 12th District. Winning first place is Lynette Bright of Greensboro Middle College; second place, Anitra Griffin of West Charlotte High School; and third place, Ahmad Martin of the Middle College at GTCC-Greensboro. Their winning submissions, selected by a panel of judges from the community, will be featured on a display in the U.S. Capitol building and on the CAC website.
“STEM education is crucial to developing a workforce that is prepared for the jobs of the future” said Congresswoman Adams. “Computer science and tech are two of the fastest growing fields and this competition encourages creativity and innovation from students at a young age. I’m proud to have such a diverse group of exceptional young people representing the 12th District. These students are a strong testament to our state’s commitment to education and workforce development.”
“The Congressional App Challenge was a learning experience for me” said first place winner Lynette Bright. “I practiced using new coding platforms to help me expand my knowledge in different areas and overall I feel that I did even better than last year.” Lynette’s app, entitled “Treasure Chest”, creates a lost and found service where community members can report goods they’ve lost and those found in their area.
Second place winner Anitra Griffin created an app entitled “MyShip” which seeks to help people have and maintain healthy relationships. When asked about her experience Anitra stated "The Congressional App Challenge helped me expand on my new found passion for coding, as well as be able to put it to use. Through the app challenge, I was able to learn more about coding and perfect my skills. I'm very thankful for this opportunity to compete."
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Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, the CAC is a nationwide event that allows high school students from across the country to compete by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app” for mobile, tablet or computer devices.
The Congressional App Challenge is open to all high school students and those eligible to attend public high school in North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District. Students may work individually or in teams of up to four. All entries must be original in concept, design and execution. Students entering the competition must register in advance to show their intent to participate, and then submit their app’s source code along with a YouTube or VIMEO video that demos and explains their app and what they learned through this competition.
Recognizing racial, gender, and other disparities faced in the tech sector, the CAC also focuses on inclusivity and making the Challenge as accessible as possible to people from all backgrounds. Deliberate efforts are made to include students from all backgrounds, including those traditionally underrepresented in tech.