BERNARDSVILLE, NJ (Somerset County) – Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. Friday announced the NJ-07 winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge.
The top winner of the competition is Afraz Amin of Bridgewater, who attends Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School.
Afraz’s winning entry, DocReserve, “simplifies the booking process for medical appointments, offering patients a more convenient scheduling system. By streamlining this process, DocReserve not only saves valuable time for users and their schedules but also ensures patients receive the specialized care that they need when they need it. Everything is in the app, and there are no “over-the-phone” bookings. Users can finally decide when to book an appointment with a doctor and ensure that it fits their schedule.”
Afraz will receive the following as the 7th Congressional District winner:
- Winning App eligible to be featured in the Capitol Building and put on House.gov (10 million visitors per year)
- An Invitation to the #HouseOfCode celebration in DC in April 2024
- Waived copyright registration application fees through the ARTS Act
The judges also selected two runner-up entries for recognition:
- MedReader, submitted by Anusha Magdum of Scotch Plains, who attends the Union County Magnet High School. MedReader is an app that helps people unable to read the information on their medicine hear out loud the details on the drug label.
- Access Wayfinder, submitted by the duo of Krishav Singla of Westfield, who attends the Union County Magnet High School and Ethan Lung of Westfield, who attends the Union County Vocation-Technical High School. The goal of their app is to help individuals with disabilities and their caregivers make informed decisions about where to visit by knowing the level of accessibility a business offers.
“I am amazed by the skills and creativity of all the students who entered this year’s Congressional App Challenge,” Kean said. “Through the Congressional App Challenge and other STEM programs, we are creating the next generation of innovators who will lead advancements in technology, drive economic growth and better our future. Congratulations to Afraz, Anusha, Krishav and Ethan, for creating incredible apps! You all have a bright future.”
Samantha Billig and Vincent Panico served as judges for this year’s App Challenge.
Samantha Billig has been a Business Education Teacher at Hunterdon Central in Flemington for 16 years where she teaches Entrepreneurship 1 and 2, as well as Digital Multimedia Design. Mrs. Billig was honored as the 2016 Hunterdon County Teacher of the Year and has served on local, county, and state committees since.
Vincent Panico, native of Readington, New Jersey, is a decade-long veteran in the technology field. A graduate of Raritan Valley Community College, he went on to teach Computer Science as an Associate Professor at RVCC while pursuing his career in technology. Today, Vincent uses his tech background as a sales leader in the financial technology world and as Deputy Mayor of his hometown of Readington.
The CAC was created because Congress recognized that STEM and computer-based skills are essential for economic growth and innovation and that the U.S. has been falling behind on these fronts. By some estimates, the U.S. may be short by as many as 1 million programmers by 2021.
These are high-paying, high-demand jobs. To maintain American competitiveness, it’s crucial that the United States invests in our youth now and helps them acquire these valuable skills. The CAC encourages students to pursue those skills and recognizes them for their efforts.
