FIN’ED wins Rep. Ken Calvert’s Congressional App Challenge in California’s 41st District
Rep. Ken Calvert has named Ishaan Gupta, Adam Darzidan, Luke Varghese, and Kevin Tun at Centennial High School, as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 41st District.
When asked what inspired the creation of FIN’ED, the student said, ”Our inspiration to create this app came from our interests and experiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ishaan wanted to find a way to express himself and the experiences he saw in the world around him. This led him to pursue his newfound hobby of animation, in which he visually depicted the real-world issues that he and those around him experienced, reaching an international audience through his animations. Entering high school, his passion for financial literacy also started to bolster as he experienced those around him making rash financial decisions. Adam’s brother with special needs is also transitioning to adulthood. One severe problem that hindered this transition was his financial knowledge and independence, which caused him profuse frustration. One specific problem he faced was counting money, so Adam discussed this issue with Ishaan, Luke, and Kevin. Adam also had a passion for designing ever since his dad introduced him to model blueprints at a young age, bringing home designs from his construction sites. Together, Ishaan, Adam, Luke, and Kevin shared common skill sets in finance, animation, design, and computer science, to which they intertwined their passions and personal experiences to create the app as a part of a nonprofit organization known as FIN’ED.”
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.