Text It Out wins Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s (PA-01) 2020 Congressional App Challenge

When asked what inspired the creation of Text It Out, the student said, “Having grown up with a visually impaired grandfather for most of my childhood, I aspire to create technology that is not only accessible for minorities, but also establishes equitable solutions for all consumers. Especially now that the world is becoming much more distanced with COVID-19, the topic of mental health is more important than ever as we grapple with the emotional effects that isolation can spur.”

Over 6,500 students registered for the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. These students created and submitted 3,088 functioning apps, marking the end of an extremely successful Congressional App Challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All told, 308 Members of Congress hosted Congressional App Challenges in their districts across 49 states, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands, and Washington, DC.

The CAC is an initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host competitions 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. The Internet Education Foundation provides the CAC with supplemental support. In the six years of the Congressional App Challenge, thousands of functional apps have been created by over 30,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all industry diversity metrics.