WikiLearn wins Rep. Diana DeGette’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Colorado’s First District
Rep. Diana DeGette has named Xander Levy, a eleventh grader at Denver South High School as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Colorado’s First District.
When asked what inspired the creation of WikiLearn, the student said, “I love learning. Curiosity is one of the biggest driving forces in my life. When I’m trying to teach myself a new skill it’s always a struggle knowing where to go. There’s always beginner courses or some articles, but it becomes analysis paralysis. What do I do first? What is more difficult? Where do I go from here?
The web app I have created aims to solve this. It allows curiosity to grow in one place. No longer do you need to jump around the web to find where and what to learn. It’s all in one play, completely free, and completely crowdsourced. The focus on making it free is to allow knowledge to be accessible to anyone. Projects like Wikipedia, Khan academy, and now WikiLearn aim to bridge the gap between wanting to know something and making that possible for everyone.
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.