Fix My Car wins Rep. Cliff Bentz’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Oregon’s Second District
Rep. Bentz has named Yahir Conejo-Garcia, an 11th grader at Hermiston Senior High School, as the winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Oregon’s Second District.
When asked what inspired the creation of Fix My Car, the student said, “Recently, I started learning to drive. Initially, I was quite anxious about it. I was scared of getting into an accident, forgetting how to drive properly, my car breaking down, or driving too slow or too fast. So when I heard about the Congressional App Challenge, I knew if I could make something that would help with any of these issues, I could help myself and anyone else going through the same thing. Hence, I decided to make an app that would help new and experienced drivers alike diagnose their car’s issues. Empower drivers to take control of their vehicle’s maintenance and safety, helping drivers fix their car if and whenever it breaks down.”
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.