SpeakSafe wins Rep. Ed Case’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Hawaii’s First District
Rep. Case has named Jaylen Rabago, a 10th grader at DreamHouse Ewa Beach Public Charter School, as the winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Hawaii’s First District.
When asked what inspired the creation of SpeakSafe, the student said, “What inspired me to create this app was the experiences of myself and my loved ones. As a woman, sometimes it feels unsafe to navigate certain situations or environments. Through conversations with people in my community, I realized that many women share similar concerns and fears. I wanted to develop an app that could provide a sense of security and empowerment for women, encouraging them to feel more confident and in control of their personal safety. I have also found that there are often situations where someone feels uncomfortable or threatened, but not threatened enough where calling 911 or using a defense weapon (i.e. pepper spray) would be necessary. This motivated me to create an app that not only addresses these issues but also offers a practical solution. By leveraging technology, I aim to bridge the gap between feeling vulnerable and having a reliable tool to enhance personal safety. Nearly everyone I know carries a phone with them all the time, which means that they can also carry my app to feel safer in any situation.”
This year’s Challenge saw an unprecedented level of participation, with 374 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions, surpassing the previous record of 340. A remarkable 11,334 students from across the United States competed in this year’s Challenge, marking an impressive increase of nearly 1,000 participants compared to the previous record set in 2019. The enthusiasm and creativity these students display is a testament to the growing interest in technology and signal a bright future for American innovation. The surge of ingenuity continued with a whopping 3,645 original applications flooding in, nearly a thousand more than the previous year’s high. This remarkable growth showcases the exceptional talent and innovation within our nation’s youth.
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. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. 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 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2024, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.