REP LIEU HONORS WINNERS OF ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE

LOS ANGELES – On Monday, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) virtually hosted his congressional district’s eighth annual Congressional App Challenge and sixth annual reception for the challenge. The winner, Sarah Varghese of Ridgecrest Intermediate School, submitted an app entitled “Lost It? Loc8 It!”, an app that uses several blind user-friendly features to help the visually impaired. The judges believed that this app was unique in concept, had a great design, and showed impressive technical skill. 

The Congressional App Challenge, a competition aimed at encouraging students to learn how to code by creating their own applications, is open to all middle and high school students who either reside or attend school in California’s 36th Congressional District. The first-place winner’s app is eligible to be featured in the United States Capitol Building and on House.gov. In addition, the winner is invited to the House of Code Reception in Washington, D.C. 

“As a recovering computer science major and one of the co-chairs of the Congressional App Challenge, I am inspired by all these students who’ve committed themselves to creating innovative apps that address issues people face every day in our society,” Congressman Lieu said. “Our office sees growth each year in the number of apps submitted. I am pleased to represent a district that is home to Silicon Beach, Santa Monica College, the LA Air Force Base, and UCLA, all of which emphasize the importance of STEM innovation and education. Congratulations to all the winners!”

Below are the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge:

1. 1st Place: “Lost it? Loc8 It!”, submitted by Sarah Varghese – Ridgecrest Intermediate School
2. 2nd Place: “Terminal V Demo”, submitted by Daniel Tritasavit – El Segundo High School  
3. 3rd Place: “Endura”, submitted by Brandon Kirbyson and Tobin Palmer – Santa Monica High School  
4. Honorable Mention: “Grade with AI”, submitted by John Tian – Mira Costa High School  

Judges for the 2023 Congressional App Challenge include:

1. Dr. William Goodin, Industry Relations Coordinator at UCLA Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
2. Mr. Marc Fischer, CEO at Dogtown Media
3. Ms. Fariba Bolandhemat, Computer Science Professor at Santa Monica College 
4. Mr. Christian Enriquez, User Experience Designer focused in Augmented Reality

###