March 20, 2023

ORANGE COUNTY STUDENTS WIN REP. CORREA’S 2022 CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE

ORANGE COUNTY, CA – Today, Representative Lou Correa (CA-46) announced that Jessica Nguyen of Garden Grove High School, Henry Vu of Garden Grove High School, and Jasmine Chau of Garden Grove High School as the winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 46th District. 

Photo of Students

Photo of winners Jessica Nguyen, Henry Vu, and Jasmine Chau of Garden Grove High School

“I’m so proud to announce Jessica Nguyen, Henry Vu, and Jasmine Chau of Garden Grove High School as the winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 46th District,” said Rep. Correa. “Their app MnewNote combines proven study techniques, a Pomodoro timer, and more to increase the productivity of our students and reduce burnout. They each embody the next generation of STEM leadership—and I’m so proud of each of them. There is no limit to what they will accomplish.”

You can watch a walkthrough of their app “MnewNote” here, and by clicking the image below. 

Screenshot of app

Screenshot of student’s app, “MnewNote” that links to a video walkthrough.

When asked what inspired the creation of MnewNote, the students said, ”We noticed, through our peers and ourselves, that many people struggle with studying, whether it be finding motivation, being able to focus, or just finding the right study method. There are many students out there who spend hours studying but do not get the results they are looking for because they are studying inefficiently. Efficient studying should combine effective techniques in addition to a balanced routine with frequent breaks. We took into consideration a plethora of scientifically proven study methods, tried using them ourselves, before implementing them into an easy-to-use app. Our app combines proven study techniques with a Pomodoro timer to maximize productivity plus reduce mental burnout. In addition, we also took into consideration psychological studies on the benefits of rewards and incentives into motivating students to learn. Therefore, we decided to add an economy system with “Stars” as a currency for students to purchase collectibles. We hope a combination of efficient study methods and a rewards system will motivate our peers, allow them to study effectively, and score well on their exams.”

The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from Omidyar Network, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others. The wildly successful competition continues to impress upon House Members the importance of computer science education and the need to develop a pipeline of diverse, domestic STEM talent.

The 2023 Congressional App Challenge will launch in June of 2023, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.

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