ApolloHealth wins Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Wisconsin’s Third District
Rep. Derrick Van Orden has named Ali Abidi, a ninth grader at Onalaska Middle School, as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Wisconsin’s Third District.
When asked what inspired the creation of ApolloHealth, the student said, “I feel very fortunate and privileged to have quality healthcare through my parents’ health insurance. However, over the last few years, my interest in learning about health disparities in different societies grew through my travel to different third-world countries, I learned that even in the US, with all of its advanced healthcare systems, there is a large population which does not have easy access to quality healthcare due to lack of insurance and logistical challenges. I started to do my own research about healthcare disparities in the US and began to think about how I can play my part as a young member of my community to address this challenge.
When I heard about the Congressional App Challenge, I decided to make an application that can contribute towards reducing healthcare inequity. That gave birth to the idea of ApolloHealth. I aim to expand this application beyond Wisconsin in the next few years so it can be leveraged by anyone around the country to find free and low cost healthcare resources. I also plan on adding more features to this application such as getting access to resources to obtain low cost health insurance and will aim to socialize it through different social media platforms so more users can benefit from it.”
This year’s Congressional App Challenge set new records, with an unprecedented 382 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions—surpassing the previous high of 374. An incredible 12,682 students from across the country participated, representing a growth of over 1,000 students compared to 2023. These talented students submitted an astounding 3,881 original applications, showcasing their creativity, passion for technology, and the limitless potential of America’s next generation of innovators. This surge in participation reflects the increasing excitement around STEM and highlights a bright future for American innovation.
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 the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2025, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.